Namyu
by TTAvatarfan
Summary: Aang is dead, struck down after defeating the Fire Lord. But he doesn't want to leave his friends. Now, he may just get his wish, returning as a newborn tiger wolf pup in the South Pole. Will he see Katara and Sokka again? And will they see who he is?
1. Chapter 1: Prolouge

**A/N: Meh, I decided to start this story early. I was going to wait till after I finished my Avatar/Warriors story (I will still work on that) but, this idea has driven me nuts, so here we are! This story is sort of an Avatar version of the movie "Fluke", if anybody has seen that movie.**

**Disclaimer: I don't Avatar, or Fluke, just a fan, don't sue me.**

The Fire Nation soldier beneath her moaned in agony as she struck it over the head with a ball of ice, knocking him unconscious. Katara smiled briefly in victory.

Everything was going to plan so far. She and her brother, Sokka, and Toph, along with the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom warriors were distracting the Fire Nation army while Aang, the Avatar, fought the Fire Lord. Once the Fire Lord was defeated, they would retreat and celebrate in their victory. The world would finally be at peace.

"Katara look out!"

A boomerang with an edge as sharp as a steak knife whizzed behind Katara's head and whacked a soldier that was coming up behind her off balance. This distraction lasted long enough for Sokka, the person who had warned Katara, to get behind his sister and club the soldier over the head.

"Thanks, Sokka," Katara said breathlessly.

Her brother nodded. "Maybe next you'll pay more attention. You owe me by the way."

Katara rolled her eyes before she shouted "Duck!"

And with that, the master waterbender commanded a stream of water to rush over Sokka's head and freeze the soldier that was rushing up behind them.

Katara looked at Sokka smugly.

Sokka shrugged. "Call it even?"

She was just about to reply, when a crackling blue energy filled the air. It blasted through two opposite sides of the Fire Lord's castle walls at the same time. It was a substance that could only be described as lightening.

Katara felt a sick feeling form in her stomach. She knew what she had to do…

Without a word, the waterbender took off running, powered by fear and adrenaline. She heard Sokka shout after her before he too ran after her. They were suddenly blocked by a blast of fire in front of them and another Fire Nation soldier appeared, trying to block their way.

Katara was scared. She had used up all of her bending water in the battle. Sokka raised his club, ready to protect his sister.

Just then, a rock crashed into the side of the soldier, sending him flying sideways. He got up after a minute, coming face to face with-

"Toph! What are you doing here?" Katara shouted above the turmoil of the battle.

"I'll hold him off!" the earthbender shouted. "Now go!"

Without thinking twice, the Water Tribe siblings rushed into the Fire Lord's palace, running as fast as they could. Both were afraid of what they might find…

After negotiating a few flights of stairs, Katara and Sokka found themselves in the Fire Lord's throne room. They were greeted by an unpleasant sight. At one end of the throne room lay the Fire Lord himself, a gaping wound in his chest where he had been apparently struck by lightening. At the other side of the room lay the motionless body of the Avatar.

"Aang!" the cry was ripped from Katara's throat involuntarily as she and her brother rushed over to his side. The waterbender picked him up in her arms while Sokka placed one of his hands on Aang's arm that was facing him.

"Aang?" Katara asked hesitantly. No response. She tried again, her voice softer and more tearstained. "Aang?"

A few more moments of silence before a soft groan was heard and Aang opened his eyes, though they only managed to rise halfway.

"Katara…Sokka…," he said softly, a faint smile on his face. "You're both…okay. You're okay…"

"We're fine Aang," Sokka assured him, smiling down at his friend.

"Did I beat…the Fire Lord?" Aang asked.

Katara nodded. "Yes Aang, you beat him. You were amazing."

Aang's smile only grew wider before he shivered slightly. A cold feeling began to overtake his body, feeling like icy claws.

"C-Cold...," he tried to tell Katara weakly.

Katara looked up at Sokka fearfully before pulling Aang closer to her, trying to warm his body with her own. She felt him settle down for a minute, before he asked in a whisper, "You guys…won't let me die…right?''

"No way," Sokka said, his deadly serious. He tightened his grip on Aang's arm.

Aang shivered again and coughed, struggling to breath. The cold changed to numbness, and it rose up through his body until it reached his throat. The numb feeling was almost painful, and Aang couldn't help but flinch.

"Can't…feel…below my…neck…" Aang gasped, growing more and more frightened by the second. Tears of fear and pain welled up in his eyes.

Katara took one of his hands and squeezed it hard, even though he couldn't feel it. Sokka felt his throat tightening, though he refused to cry.

"No…" Aang whimpered. "I…don't want to…go. I'm scared, Katara…."

"Shh…" Katara soothed. "I know you're scared. But you've got to brave. Can you be brave for me?"

Aang shook his head, frightened and half delirious from the pain.

"Don't go!" he cried, his vision growing dimmer so that Katara and Sokka were disappearing from his sight. "Don't leave…please don't leave…"

Katara held him tighter, pressing his head tighter against her body so that he might feel safe. Sokka strengthened his death grip on Aang's arm, barely holding back tears.

"Don't go…" Aang murmured, his voice growing softer as his spirit left his body. "Sokka…Katara…don't go…please…"

"We're not going anywhere, Aang," Katara promised him, her voice strained with the effort of holding back tears. "We'll never leave you, but you've got to stay awake. Aang?"

When the young airbender fell silent, Katara looked at his face, seeing that his eyes were closed and that his cheeks were stained with tears. But his skin felt so warm…

"Aang?" Katara tried again, shaking him slightly. "Aang! AANG!"

Katara broke into tears, holding Aang close and burying his face into his chest. No. No! Aang couldn't be dead! His body felt so warm, the blood had to coursing through his veins. He was Aang, the Avatar! He always came back…

"Don't die, Aang, please don't die…" Katara sobbed.

Sokka had by now lost his will to hold back his tears and broke down along with his sister. The most heartbreaking thing had not been Aang's death (although that was most of it) but the fact that up until the end, Aang hadn't wanted to leave them. He'd have rather suffer with his wounds than left he and Katara.

And so, the Fire Lord's chamber was filled with the sounds of sobbing as Katara and Sokka mourned the loss of their friend. It wasn't until much later that their father came in along with Bato and lifted the Avatar's body from Katara's arms.

_He's gone,_ Katara thought sorrowfully, _Gone forever…_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, three reviews. Not bad. Anyways, just thought I'd let everyone know that tiger wolves are my own creation. They have bodies like wolves, and they're white. They also have a black stripe that runs down their backs to the tips of their tails. More black stripes branch off the main one on their backs that run down their sides. Each tiger wolf has a unique marking that runs down their foreheads (for Aang, it's an arrow). Well, anyway, here's the next update!**

**kataangfan22****: Yeah, but actually I was trying to make it even sadder than Eternity. Glad to see you like it so far!**

**libowiekitty****: I read that story! It almost made me cry! Poor Aang… Oh well!**

**DemonicBrat13****: Glad you liked it!**

The first thing he remembered feeling was something warm and soft pressed against him, for what seemed like every moment of every day, but those memories were very faint. His first real memories were when he opened his eyes and saw the world, just like every other tiger wolf pup.

Aang watched as his brothers and sisters tackled and played with each other, rolling around in the fresh powdery snow that had fallen the night before. But he had no interest in playing right now. His belly was full of warm milk, and he wanted to nap, not play.

But one of Aang's sisters had better ideas. She grabbed his scruff and hauled him up onto his paws, pulling him away from their mother's warm furry side.

"C'mon, sleepy head!" she barked happily, "The others are already outside! We're missing all the fun!"

Aang followed her passively.

He didn't even have a chance to blink before his sister pounced on him, aiming for his neck as they engaged themselves in a play fight. Aang was quick, however. He grabbed a bit of her scruff between his teeth, and pulled gently. With a slight growl, his sister wriggled out of his grasp and jumped up and away.

The two of them stared each other down for a minute, sizing each other up before they tackled each other again, this time with Aang on top.

They played like this all afternoon, they play fight ending when Aang accidentally nipped his sister's ear too hard, and she squealed in pain. The two of them broke apart, panting slightly.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Alright, that's enough!" their mother called. "Time to come in. You all must be exhausted."

All five of them trudged in to lie down next to each other while their mother stood up and headed to the mouth of the den they were staying in. She had never left them before like this.

"Where are you going?" Aang asked, tilting his head slightly.

"To hunt," she answered him. "It's about time you all had your first taste of meat."

Aang wagged his tail excitedly.

"Now don't leave the den, whatever you do," his mother said to him, licking him between the ears. "I'll be back soon."

Aang nodded, and watched as she stepped out into the snow and disappeared.

After she left, the young tiger wolf went over to his siblings and lay down next to them, snuggling next to his sister that he had played with. It wasn't long before he had fallen fast asleep.

ooo

"_Aang," a voice called softly. "Aang where are you?"_

_A light appeared in the darkness, and with it came the vision of a beautiful young girl, supposedly from the water tribe. Her dark hair that was tied up in a braid that swung gently in the breeze. She looked awfully familiar. Her icy blue eyes were filled with tears._

"_Why did you leave me?" she asked, her voice soft and pleading. "Why Aang?"_

_Then, the vision disappeared, and in its place there came a bright blue flash of light and a fuzzy vision of the girl, holding him in her arms with someone else beside her that looked just as familiar as she did. _

"_Be brave, Aang," the girl said softly, "Be brave for me…" _

_And then she and her brother began to disappear from view as well, fading into darkness._

"_No!" Aang cried out. "Don't go! Don't leave me!"_

_As a last desperate effort, he called out their names not even knowing how he knew them._

"_Katara! Sokka! Come back!"_

ooo

Aang's head sprang up, his eyes wide. When he saw it was just the inside of the den, he relaxed and laid his head down again.

That dream. It was so familiar. Everything was familiar. That girl, Katara, her warmth and the look in her eyes told him so much. And her brother, Sokka. Everything was becoming clear. And yet, everything was so confusing.

Aang didn't have much time to dwell on this though. Because another moment later, their mother had returned with a freshly killed fish in her jaws. She laid it down at the entrance, just as the rest of her pups began to awaken. They all rushed to the fish, nibbling at it experimentally. It wasn't long before the fish was gone, bones and all.

After only a few bites of fish, Aang retreated to the edge of the den. Noticing his absence, his mother walked lightly over to him as the rest of her pups engaged in another play fight.

"Is everything alright?" she asked her son, nosing him gently.

Aang wasn't sure how to answer. So he settled on, "I'm not sure, mom. I'm just not sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Meh, not much to say. I'm trying to update this story as often as I can, so look forward to that!**

**Vanille Strawberry****: Don't we all wish Aang became a puppy. He'd be so frickin' cute! And your wait is over!**

**DemonicBrat13****: Well, for the most part, he's going to stay a pup. Like Fluke, he'll grow up of course. And yes, he'll see Katara and Sokka again as a pup. Things will be clearer as the story goes on, I promise!**

**kataangfan22****: Of course Aang is always adorable! It won't end exactly like Fluke, but I plan on having the cemetery scene or something like it in there. But my ending will be different, don't worry!**

**ironhide11****: And it will get even better!**

Another exhausting day of play fighting with his brothers and sisters passed by, and now Aang was curled up in his warm, cozy den with his family. All of them were sleeping dreamlessly.

Except Aang.

Every night now, for the past week, the young tiger wolf had been having mysterious dreams about a life that wasn't his. They all involved Katara (he knew her name easily by now) and sometimes her brother. Toph was there sometimes, too. All of the dreams seemed like flashbacks of his previous life…

ooo

_All was darkness and cold. Aang had never known it was possible to be this cold. It seemed like he was trapped in a deep sleep that he couldn't wake up from._

_Ice was all around him, he knew it. But how had it gotten there? Everything was so confusing, so surreal. It all seemed like an illusion._

_Suddenly, he felt an unknown force seem to wake him from his sleep. He couldn't exactly see what it was, but he knew it was there. What only seemed like a few moments later, the ice disappeared, and he was free. But the glow was still there, the glow that made his vision fuzzy, that prevented him from seeing who had freed him._

_His body seemed to take action on it's own accord, forcing him to walk up the edge of this seemingly endless wall of ice. Everything was still fuzzy, the glow was still there. He stood upright, preparing to walk down…_

"_Stop!"_

_A voice broke through his conscious, and suddenly, the glow faded, but Aang was falling, and he didn't have any control over it._

_He hardly remembered the next few minutes, but he remembered looking up at the face of a beautiful Water Tribe girl, who was holding him in her arms, and speaking a sentence that seemed familiar to his ears…_

"_Will you go penguin sledding with me?"_

ooo

A noise sounded outside the den, waking Aang from his sleep and prompting him out of his dream.

He remembered that now, what had happened in his dream. Aang remembered it all, as if it had happened yesterday. That fateful day when Katara and Sokka discovered him in the iceberg and freed him. His life was coming back to him, piece by piece –

And suddenly the noise sounded again, followed by the sound of gruff voices.

"Over there," they said. "There's a den. Maybe they're still in there."

"Let's hope so," another voice added. "We're being paid good money for this. We don't want our efforts wasted."

Aang pricked his ears as he listened, his heart speeding up in alarm. What were those guys out there planning?

Wasting no time, Aang got up and made his way over to his mother. Gently but firmly, he shook her awake with his forepaws.

"Mama, wake up," he said softly but urgently. "I heard something outside."

Gradually, Aang's mother clambered to her paws and stepped sleepily over to the mouth of the den. Her tail stood straight out behind her and her fur on her shoulders stood up in alarm. Within a heartbeat, she was back in the den and waking her pups, telling them to stay quiet.

A few moments of tense silence passed before a man clad in Earth Kingdom winter clothes stood outside the den. He bent over to look inside, and was met with a very angry tiger wolf mother standing protectively over he pups, her teeth bared viciously and the fur on her shoulders raised.

"Over here!" the Earth Kingdom man called over his shoulders. "A tiger wolf with pups! We've struck gold, boys!"

Aang crouched fearfully under his mother, whimpering in fear as the Earth Kingdom man disappeared for a moment, before returning with a noose-like rope in his hands.

"You won't let them get us, will you mama?" one of Aang's sisters asked.

"Never," their mother answered, a growl to her voice.

_Never…_

That sounded familiar to Aang, too. He remembered hearing that, from Sokka when Aang was dying. It scared and comforted him at the same time.

"C'mon little missy," the Earth Kingdom man coaxed

Aang's mother responded with a vicious snarl and a snap to his hand.

"Leave them alone!" she growled.

The Earth Kingdom man shook his hand and hissed in pain. He could even feel the powerful bite through his heavy gloves.

"Why you little…Come here, you!" his tone was harsh as he slid the noose around her neck and pulled her out of the den.

Aang's mother fought viciously, twisting her head and rearing up on her hind paws. But her strength and her battle for freedom was for nothing, for she was soon lifted into a metal cage in the back of a wagon-like sled.

Another man came back, lifting the frightened tiger wolf pups out of their den, one by one. As the back of the wagon was opened, Aang smelled the stench of blood, and caught a look inside the sled.

_Dead animals!_ He thought, feeling sick, _And pelts! They're going to kill us for our pelts!_

And at last Aang was the only pup left in the den, watching in terror as the Earth Kingdom man reach for him.

But Aang wouldn't be caught.

Summoning up his courage, Aang bared his teeth and bit the man hard on his fingers. While the man was distracted in his pain, Aang bolted out the den between his legs and towards the wagon, leaping up the back. He reached his mother's cage first.

"Hang on, mama," he barked determinedly, "I'll get you out! I'll definitely get you out!"

He bit at the catch holding her cage shut, chewing on it desperately. He couldn't leave them to die, he just couldn't.

"It's no use," she told him. She looked up, seeing the Earth Kingdom man and his companions racing towards them.

"Get out of here, quickly!" Aang's mother told him desperately, "Or you'll be caught too!"

"I won't leave you!" Aang countered. "I can't let you die!"

"We'll be fine," she assured him, "But you must go. Now!"

"But mama…" Aang whimpered. If he was human, he was sure he would be crying, or about to cry.

His mother's eyes held infinite wisdom and promise. She knew what was about to happen to her and the rest of her pups, but she stayed brave for Aang's sake

"Please," she pleaded, "Go now, and save yourself. We will meet again in the next life, my son. I'll always be with you."

With a final look at his mother and his siblings and the only family he had ever known, Aang turned and fled, dodging the men who were trying to catch him. He ran until their cruel voices faded away, until his lungs felt they were about to burst, until the smell of blood and fear left his nose.

Until everything he had ever known was left behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yo! Man, I can't wait for school to be out, it's driving me crazy! I get out June 15****th****. How about everyone else?**

**Tokkalover****: Glad you like it!**

**kataangfan22****: I'm not really sure how long it's going to be, but I'm going to make it as long as I can. Hope that's okay!**

**TotalTVAddict****: Thanks for the well wishes. I'm going to try and make this story as good as my other ones, but we'll see what happens. Thanks for the review!**

**ironhide11****: Me writing sad stories, so what else is new? XD It is a tragedy, I've already told you that! Don't forget to keep reviewing, or I will pester you mercilessly in school!**

When Aang finally stopped running, he didn't know where he was. All there was was an expanse of snowy fields. Nothing was familiar to him. But then again, Aang had never been this far from the den.

There was no going back now.

Aang sighed, his breath billowing out in front of him. A snowflake landed on his nose and he shook it off, and then looked up at the sky. It was beginning to snow.

Deciding that standing around wouldn't get him anywhere, Aang began to walk, not even sure where he was going. Everything was so vast and scary…

oooo

Aang wasn't sure how long he had been wandering, but it was long enough to make him desperately hungry. His mother had never shown him how to hunt for himself, or how to fight. That made him nervous. Aang knew he was easy prey out here.

Soon, the cold began to make him feel sleepy. Aang felt as if he would topple over any minute; it seemed to take all of his strength to put one paw in front of the other.

Suddenly, mewling cries sounded in the distance, jerking Aang out of his daze. He lifted his head, seeing the entrance to an underground den in the distance.

_Shelter…_ Aang thought fuzzily. He started to head towards it, knowing he needed to rest if he was to see sunrise.

Once Aang was standing in front of the entrance, he sniffed cautiously. A strange, sharp scent filled his nose, but he was simply too weary to care about strange animals. So, Aang made his way inside.

As he traveled further down the tunnel leading to where he suspected the den might be, the mewling cries he had heard outside grew louder. It wasn't until he finally reached the actual den did he see the source of the noise…

There were four, fox-like creatures tucked in a nest of feathers and fur. They were all a creamy color, and had bushy tails. As their mouths opened in a wail of hunger, Aang noticed the beginnings of saber teeth in their mostly toothless gums.

_Saber toothed mink foxes,_ Aang realized. His mother had told him about these creatures once or twice. They were harmless to tiger wolves, she had said. But they were cunning and quick, and fought the same way as they hunted, subduing their prey before coming in for the kill.

Aang's belly rumbled, pulling him out of his thoughts, and reminding him of his ever worsening hunger. He suddenly looked back the entrance, and then back at the cubs. Well, their mother wasn't here, and they were too young to defend themselves. He wouldn't find easier prey than this…

_No!_ Aang shook his head, trying to rid himself of such terrible thoughts. There was no way he could bring himself to kill these cubs, even if it meant he had to starve to death.

So instead, he padded over to them, using the last drop of his strength that he still possessed, and lay down next to the cubs. After feeling a warm body beside them, the cubs quieted down and went back to sleep. Soon enough, Aang found himself asleep as well, too weak to stay awake for any longer.

oooo

"_Katara?" Aang instinctively called out for her, seeking comfort from this nightmare that had become his life. "Katara, please where are you?"_

"_I'm here, Aang," her voice said, but it sounded distant. "I'll always be here, waiting for you."_

"_Where are you?" he asked, looking frantically around in the dark abyss, "I can't see you! And what do you mean you'll be waiting for me?"_

_Katara's beautiful face suddenly appeared in front of him. She smiled and reached out to stroke his cheek. Aang's eyes widened but then he smiled, glad that he was always human in his dreams so that Katara would recognize him._

"_You'll see, soon enough," she whispered. "Don't lose faith Aang. We'll be together again, I promise. But now I must go."_

_She turned around and her figure began to disappear. Aang fearfully lunged for her hand and grabbed it, not wanting her to go._

"_But you just got here!" he exclaimed. "Don't leave yet!"_

_Katara turned around and said softly, "I'll never leave you Aang. I'll always be with you…"_

"What do you think you're doing here?"

ooo

Aang jumped awake, startled out of his sleep from a sharp, angry voice. He focused his gaze blearily onto what he deemed the source of the voice: a very angry saber toothed mink fox mother.

"What…?" Aang forced out, shaking the sleep from his head.

"You heard me," she snapped back, "Who are you and what are you doing to my cubs?"

Aang looked down at the cubs, which were all curled up close to him, sound asleep. He immediately stood up and bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just heard them crying, and they seemed cold, so I came in here and kept them warm until their mother came back."

The saber toothed mink fox regarded him with a steady eye. "How do I know you weren't trying to harm them?"

"I would never harm anyone's babies," Aang answered.

She came forward and took a sniff at him, drawing when she smelled the overwhelming scent of hunger all over the tiger wolf.

"You're not much more than a baby yourself," she pointed out. "You look too young to be away from your mother."

"My mother and my siblings were taken away by hunters who wanted them for their pelts about a week ago," Aang explained. "I've been alone ever since."

"So your mother never taught you how to hunt?" the saber toothed mink fox asked.

Aang shook his head.

There was a pause, before she turned around towards the mouth of the den, saying "Wait here," before she disappeared. When she came back, she had a snow eagle in her jaws, newly killed and still warm. She placed it down it front of Aang.

"Here," she muttered.

Aang stared at the prey, not sure if he should eat or not. His empty stomach growled loudly in protest.

"I'm not sure if I can…" Aang began.

"Yes you can," the mother saber toothed mink fox told him. "I can't let any baby die, even if it's not mine. You could be of some use to me, helping me hunt for my cubs. All you need to do is learn."

"So, you'll let me stay?" Aang asked.

"Until I think you're ready to leave," she replied. "My name is Catali, by the way."

"Thank you, Catali," Aang said, trying out her name, before he bent over and bit ravenously into the snow eagle. Catali smiled slightly before heading out the den again to get more prey for herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: ARRRGGHHH! Is the end of school here yet? Stupid school…. Anyway, I just finished one of my other stories, so now I have more time work on this one! Wohoo!**

**DemonicBrat 13****: Thanks!**

**Vanille Strawberry****: Don't we al know that Aang's the most adorable little guy on the whole show. Maybe even cuter than Momo. Meh, it's a hard contest, they're tied. Sorry that my chapters are short, but I just don't enough ideas to cram into one chapter. I'm trying to make this story last as long as I can. Thanks for the review!**

**kataangfan22****: Aang is going to find them. It will probably be like next chapter, so keep watching! Oh, and now that my other story is done, I promise that I'll update my Aftermath story soon. X)**

**firehawk101****: Well, here's the next chapter for you!**

**BuzzieBug****; Don't worry, he'll find them soon. Maybe even next chapter. Glad you like it!**

**Swimstar:****Of course I'll keep working on it! I never abandon any of my stories. I'm glad you like it anyway.**

It wasn't long before Aang began to grow strong again, thanks to Catali. His ribs disappeared beneath his coat and he was filled with a new energy. Soon he was bouncing around the den and playing with Catali's cubs, now that their eyes were open.

One day, Catali came up to Aang and told him, "Alright. Time for you to learn how to hunt for yourself. You're much stronger now, and I think you can handle it."

Aang's eyes sparkled with excitement and his tail wagged slightly as he followed Catali out the den and into the snow. The cold air was refreshing, and now that he was strong again the world didn't seem as big and scary to Aang as it had been.

Catali walked on quietly for a long time. At first, Aang didn't think she knew what she was doing, but soon enough, she stopped at the top of a hill. Aang watched curiously as she lifted her nose and sniffed the air.

"Can you smell that?" Catali asked softly.

Aang smelled the air, and detected a delicious smell coming on the breeze.

"Yeah, what is it?" Aang asked.

"Rabbit vole," Catali answered. "A lot of them. Come on, this way."

She bounded down the snowy hill lightly and Aang did the same. They stopped at the bottom and hide behind a small ridge, seeing a bunch of the small creatures scuffling through the snow, looking for food.

"Now," Catali instructed, "Watch me and do as I do."

Aang nodded before crouching down behind the ridge.

Catali slunk through the snow with the grace of a cat. Aang watched intently, noting how she kept her weight light on her paws so as not to make too many vibrations in the ground and scare off the rabbit voles. She then readied herself before launching into the group of small creatures, grabbing one in her jaws and holding it until its squeals died away. The rest scattered, running blindly into one another.

Catali dropped her prey as Aang walked over to her.

"They got away," Aang pointed out, talking about the rest of the rabbit voles.

Catali merely flicked her ears. "No matter," she said. "What do you think tracking is used for?"

Aang smiled. Catali smiled back and then buried her prey behind the ridge.

"We don't want the smell of blood scaring the rest of them off," she said. "And we don't want to attract any other animals that might be interested in our kill."

Then, they headed off. Catali made Aang track down the rabbit voles, telling him everything that she knew. Before long, they found the small group of rabbit voles, huddled close together.

"Your turn," Catali told Aang. "Remember, keep your weight light and move slowly. Your black stripes are going to stand out pretty easily, so stay hidden."

Aang nodded before crouching down. He began to move forward very slowly, stepping lightly, which surprisingly wasn't hard for him. Maybe it came from being an airbender before he became a tiger wolf.

When he figured he was close enough, Aang sprang, catching the rabbit voles off guard. He selected the one he one wanted and went after it, tearing through the snow before he knocked its feet out from under it. The stunned rabbit vole didn't have a chance to react before Aang pounced on it and killed it. He triumphantly brought his kill over to Catali.

"Well done," she praised him. "Now, let's go collect that other rabbit vole and bring it back to the den."

"And after that," Aang asked, "Could you teach me how to fight?"

Catali nodded. Aang picked up his kill, excitement coursing through him.

ooo

After eating their meal and a short nap, Aang and Catali found themselves once again outside. This time, they kept close to the den. Catali's cubs looked on in wonder.

"You're still small," Catali pointed out to Aang as they headed over to their battle arena. "So you're going to have to learn to use your teeth. Now, I'm not sure if that's how a tiger wolf fights, but I never learned how to fight like a tiger wolf, so you'll just have to do it my way."

Aang nodded.

Catali stood on one end of the battle arena while Aang stood on the other.

"Let's see how you fight," she said. "Attack me."

Aang scrunched up his face slightly as he sized Catali up. He figured he should go for her neck. That would be the way to end the fight quickly. So, he charged forward and prepared to bite down. However, Catali saw his move coming a mile away, and grabbed his scruff as he passed by and tossed him aside.

Aang scrambled up, spitting out snow. "That hurt!" he complained.

"You're lucky I wasn't biting down all the way," Catali said. "We saber toothed mink foxes aren't given saber teeth for nothing."

Aang shook himself and realized her point. If Catali was going to use her teeth, then Aang would just have to avoid that part of her.

So, he stood up and tried again, this time leaping into the air before he ran into Catali's head. With lightening fast reflexes, Catali dodged, leaving Aang to land on his feet in the snow.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Catali taunted.

Now Aang was getting angry, before he took a deep breath and cleared his mind. All Catali did was dodge, so he had to catch her off guard while she dodged. But how was he supposed to predict what she was going to do?

Then, Aang got an idea. He whirled around suddenly and raced towards Catali again. Just as he predicted, Catali jumped over him to dodge him, but as she did, Aang grabbed her tail as it passed over his head and tossed her aside. Stunned, Catali writhed on the ground for a minute before Aang came over to her and placed a paw on her neck in victory.

"Let me up, you great lump!" Catali ordered.

Aang stepped backwards and allowed her to scramble to her feet. Catali shook her head before turning it to him and saying, "Very good. You catch on quickly. Let's see if you can handle something else."

Then, she stood up, and began to stalk around Aang.

ooo

In about a couple of weeks, Catali had taught everything she knew about hunting and fighting. She praised him often, surprised that he caught on so quickly.

"Why don't you go out and hunt by yourself for us today?" Catali suggested. "I think you're ready."

"Bring back another snow eagle!" one of Catali's pups said excitedly, jumping up and down. The rest of the cubs agreed with him.

"I'll bring what I can," Aang said gently, smiling down at the cubs. With that, he headed up the tunnel and towards the den entrance. Aang paused before he ducked down and went through, noting that he was almost too big to fit in Catali's den anymore.

The young tiger wolf headed up the slope of a snowy hill and lifted his head, taking in all of the scents that the South Pole had to offer. Almost immediately, the scent of snow eagle reached his nose. He pinpointed its direction as just a little bit farther down, probably in one of the holes in the cliffs not too far from where he was.

_Catali's pups will be pleased,_ Aang thought with a smile.

It wasn't long before Aang reached his destination. He sized up the cliffs, and noticed that the snow eagle was in its nest just a few feet off the ground.

_I could probably jump that high,_ Aang figured.

He slunk towards the cliffs carefully, not wanting to alert his prey. The snow eagle was completely oblivious, right until Aang leaped into the air and took it down with his teeth. Aang shook the snow eagle until its frantic flapping died away and it became still. He smiled, pleased with himself, and trotted off with his head held high.

_Catali will be so proud, _Aang thought happily.

ooo

Aang reached the den a few minutes later. However, everything was still, and there were paw prints in the snow that Aang didn't recognize. He dropped his snow eagle and bent down to sniff them, and pulled back in surprise when a sharp odor hit his nose. Aang then took in the size of the paw prints. They were massive; at least four times the size of his. But the thing that startled him the most were the drops of blood that were spattered across the ground.

"Catali…" Aang breathed worriedly.

Completely forgetting about his prey, Aang went raced over to the mouth of the den, which had been practically destroyed, and scrambled inside.

"Catali? Catali!" Aang called out as he headed down the tunnel. "Can you hear me?"

When he heard no answer and smelled the overwhelming scent of blood, Aang moved faster. When he got down to the end of the tunnel, Aang felt his stomach flip over.

Everything was covered in blood, and there were five bodies that were so badly torn up that Aang could hardly recognize them. But upon looking closer, he saw Catali's four pups on one side of the den, all dead, and then he saw Catali herself.

Aang raced over to her limp body, nosing her frantically, heedless of the blood on her body.

"Catali? Wake up!" Aang tried desperately. "Don't be dead. Please don't be dead! Catali! CATALI!"

Aang felt like his whole world had collapsed on him. She was dead. _Catali_ was dead, the one who had taught him everything he knew about hunting and fighting. And her cubs were gone too. But who could have done this?

Aang lifted his head and then grabbed Catali's scruff and dragged her up the tunnel He decided he would bury her; it would be the least he could do. He would bury her with her cubs and give them some dignity even after death.

ooo

An hour later, Aamg stood beside a mound of freshly upturned snow outside the den. He had buried Catali and her cubs deep within the snow so that no one would ever find them.

_Where am I going to go now?_ Aang thought miserably.

Then, memories of his dreams flooded his mind. He saw images of Katara flash before his eyes, and knew where he had to go.

"I have to find Katara," Aang said resolutely. "And avenge Catali. I have to find whatever killed her."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am now officially on summer vacation, meaning more updates! Wohoo! And just so everyone knows, I've got really good ideas to make this story one of my best stories ever, so keep watching!**

**firehawk101****: No, Aang won't be able to bend the elements, but he'll still have a connection to his past lives and stuff. And since Aang technically is the Avatar, the new Avatar hasn't been born yet in here.**

**Swimstar****: I'll see if I can work a little bit of fluffiness in here! X)**

**IceFire9****: Sweet! We have another guy on this site! Well, glad you it so far. 8D**

**Vanille Strawberry****: It ain't a called a tragedy for no reason. XD Yep, Aang is on his way! Yay!**

**DemonicBrat 13****: Sometimes I make my stories sad without even trying, but I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway. :) **

**kataangfan22****: No, even I'm not that cruel! I killed Katara once in my Aftermath story, she won't die in here man! But Aang will almost die for her… (hintforeshadowinghint)**

**Soulreaper46****: I'm happy that you enjoyed it. I actually draw Aang as a tiger wolf all the time. Too bad I don't have a DeviantArt account or something. Oh well!**

**goldenwing57****: Well I had to to make the story work! Yeah, everyone feels bad for Aang, but he'll be happy again soon! Yay!**

**ironhide11****: Jeez, took you long enough! Man, how come everyone hates me for killing Catali? Oh well, hate me if you will. XD**

And so the journey began. Aang ran for miles, only stopping to sleep, deciding that eating wasn't important. At times, he felt as if he were going the wrong way, but each night, his dreams about Katara grew more vivid. It was at those times he knew he was heading the right way.

And at last, Aang found himself standing on top of what felt like the umpteenth millionth hill he had crossed on his journey here, looking at the lights coming from the tents of the Southern Water Tribe.

Aang felt the cold night breeze ruffle his fur as he whispered, "I'm coming Katara."

With that thought, he raced down the hill all the way to the village, not allowing himself to stop. He knew if he stopped, it would be hard for him to start again.

When Aang reached the entrance, he paused a minute before heading into the heart of the village. Lights inside the tents began to disappear as the Water Tribe inhabitants retired for the night.

Aang stopped for a minute, knowing that wandering aimlessly around the village wouldn't get him anywhere. So, he lifted his head and smelled the breeze. There were many different smells that came to him, but there was only one that he was looking for.

And then he found it. Katara's familiar scent. Along with it, the sound of soft voices drifted towards Aang's direction, voices he knew well. His heart soaring, Aang raced towards the direction the voices and scents came from.

He stopped in front of the entrance to a Water Tribe tent like any other, but this was wasn't ordinary to Aang.

_Katara's in there, _he thought happily.

Without a second thought, Aang threw his head back and let out a mournful howl, throwing in a few pitiful whimpers for good measure. The light was still on in the tent, so hopefully someone would come to the entrance soon.

Sure enough, the sound of light footsteps were heard, and the tent flap was pushed aside to reveal Katara standing at the entrance. Aang felt his heart flutter; Katara was more beautiful than he remembered her.

Remembering what he was doing, Aang lowered his head, still looking at Katara, and gave a low whine. Katara gasped before smiling excitedly and looking inside the tent, motioning for someone to come over next to her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," came the somewhat lazy reply.

Sokka stood next to Katara a few moments later. The Water Tribe warrior's eyes bugged at the sight of the tiger wolf pup on their doorstep.

"What is that _thing_ doing here!?" Sokka exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Aang. Aang crouched submissively.

"Oh Sokka, stop," Katara said in an irritated voice, brushing his arm aside. Then she crouched down, sitting on her haunches before she held a hand out to Aang.

"Come here little one," she coaxed. "Come here. I won't hurt you."

Aang came forward, licking the tips of Katara's fingers gently, showing her that he wouldn't hurt her and that he was just a poor innocent pup.

"Good boy," Katara praised him before she hesitantly patted the top of his head and scratched Aang's ears. Aang liked that and leaned into her hand. When Katara pulled away, Aang toppled over and glanced up at Katara, embarrassed.

Katara laughed slightly and Sokka smiled a little. The little guy wasn't so bad…

"Can he come in Sokka?" Katara asked suddenly.

Sokka looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? Katara, that thing could bite you. It's a wild animal."

"If he was going to bite me, he would have done it by now," Katara said matter of factly. "Besides, I think he trusts me."

Sokka shrugged. "Do what you like," he said dismissively, heading back inside the tent.

Katara shot him an irritated look before turned to Aang, smiling. Aang wagged his tail.

Then suddenly, Katara stood up and held open the tent flap, coaxing gently, "Come on. It's nice and warm inside, and you must be hungry."

Aang stepped forward hesitantly before going inside. Katara followed him in before she went ahead. Aang looked around the tent in wonder. It was a lot bigger on the inside. Animal pelts hung everywhere on the walls and there was one small window off to the side. A pot was boiling in the center, supplying the tent with heat. Way in the back of the tent was an area closed off with yet another flap.

_Must be the beds,_ Aang figured.

At that moment, Katara appeared with a small bowl. She placed it down in front of Aang and stepped back. Aang took a hesitant sniff before realizing that the delicious meat inside was for him. Without further hesitation, Aang gobbled it down, savoring the taste that filled his mouth.

Katara looked on, smiling happily. Just then, Sokka appeared again, to stand beside his sister.

"He sure is hungry," Sokka commented. Katara nodded.

"Look, sorry about before," he apologized. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Katara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just because we're back home doesn't mean I've forgotten everything I learned on our journey. I'm still a master waterbender, and I can take care of myself."

Sokka nodded before glancing down at Aang again. The young tiger wolf was eagerly licking the sides of the bowl, just in case he missed anything, before he sat down and looked up expectantly at Katara and Sokka.

Katara moved away slightly before she sat down, cross legged, in front of the fire. She sighed, savoring its warmth. Suddenly, she noticed Aang padding over to her before crawling into her lap. He yawned and situated himself until he found a comfortable position before he lay down and closed his eyes.

"Katara? Sokka? What's going on?" a voice from somewhere behind the flap that led to the beds. Out stepped a young girl, eight years old to be exact. She walked over to Katara and knelt down beside her. Upon seeing what was in Katara's lap, her blue eyes went wide with wonder.

"This little tiger wolf pup was howling outside the tent, Alita," Katara informed her. "Sokka and I let him inside and gave him something to eat. He's cute isn't he?"

Alita nodded, a smile appearing on her face. "Can I pet him?" she asked.

Katara answered, "If you want. He seems pretty gentle."

Alita gently began to stroke Aang's head. Aang opened his eyes a bit upon being touched, but seeing no danger he closed them again.

"Poor little scrap," Katara said sympathetically. "He's tired. Usually pups are full of energy, but he doesn't seem to have any left in him."

"He'll probably be better in the morning, when he's all rested up," Alita said cheerfully.

"If he's here that long," Katara said sadly.

"Can't he stay?" Alita begged. "Pleeeeease Katara?"

Katara smiled before she said, "I don't know, Alita. Why don't you ask Sokka?"

"Ask Sokka what?" Sokka said as heard his name.

"Can he stay?" Alita pleaded, still petting Aang. "I'll take really good care of him!"

Sokka glared at his sister, knowing that she must have encouraged the little girl they had adopted after her parents died in the war. Upon hearing the fuss, Aang lifted his head and looked at Sokka curiously, knowing this would decide if his efforts were in vain. He whined slightly, hoping to break Sokka down.

"He could be useful, someday when he's older," Katara added. "He could help with the hunting."

There was another pause before Katara said again, "Oh, come on Sokka, we just can't send him back out into the cold! He'll never make it!"

Sokka looked from his sister, to Alita, to the tiger wolf pup sitting in her lap. All three of their faces held looks of pleading. Finally, he reached his decision.

"Fine, he can stay."

Katara and Alita gave a "Yes!" in victory.

"However," Sokka interrupted, "You two are taking care of him. When he's old enough, I'll think about taking him hunting with me though. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

That being said, Sokka disappeared behind the flap leading to the beds.

There were a few moments of silence, before Alita said, "What are you going to name him?"

"Huh?" Katara snapped out of her reverie.

"If he's going to stay, he's going to need a name, right?" Alita elaborated.

"Of course," Katara answered before she flicked her gaze towards Aang, who was still cradled in her lap. She stroked his forehead, absently tracing the black arrow that rested there.

_Kinda reminds me of…_Katara thought, before she cut herself off, pushing the thought away.

She concentrated for a minute, before inspiration struck her. She instantly knew the perfect name for him.

"Namyu," she stated. "His name is Namyu."

"Namyu, huh?" Alita wrinkled her nose in thought, before saying, "Yeah. I like it."

"Namyu," Katara repeated to herself, looking down at Aang. Aang looked back up at her before licking her nose.

Smiling, Katara stood up, still cradling Aang in her arms and saying, "All right Alita. Time for bed. You can play with Namyu in the morning when both of you have gotten some sleep." 

Alita's shoulders sagged in disappointment as she reluctantly headed off for bed. Katara followed her and watched as she climbed into bed and pulled the blankets around herself.

Katara found her own bed, which lay at the foot of Sokka's and Alita's. Their beds were separate but side by side.

Katara crawled underneath her warm blankets with Aang still in her arms. She then placed him next to her and let him get comfortable. Now that Aang had found Katara, he didn't want to be apart from her, so he snuggled as close to her as he could possibly get. Upon hearing him sigh, Katara smiled once again and pulled the blankets over the both of them, then blew out the candle beside their beds, making the tent grow dark. Once she got comfortable again, Katara laid an arm across Aang to keep him there.

"Goodnight, Namyu," she whispered.

_Goodnight,_ Aang answered her mentally before drifting off into the comforting blackness of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi everyone! Because so many people asked, I'm going to tell you right now that Katara and Sokka don't find out who Aang is until the last chapter. Hate me if you want, but that's just how I am. But in the meantime, I've got a good plot for this story that starts here, so read! XD Oh, and just so everyone knows, Aang finds Katara and Sokka just a few months after he died, so Katara is still 14 and Sokka is still 15. Just a note for everyone.**

**Mew Sakuranbo****: MWHAHAHA! Things are about to get interesting, I'll make sure of it!**

**DemonicBrat 13****: Alita is a Water Tribe girl who Katara and Sokka adopted after her parents were killed in the war. Alita is also a waterbender, and Katara is teaching her, which you will find out in this chapter. X)**

**BuzzieBug****: Alright, I won't tell you, but I have no problem spilling my secrets. :3 That's just how I am. Now I wouldn't mind you sending Jack Sparrow after me, he rocks! Lol, I love POTC. But not Vincent Valentine! Just kidding!**

**Kumori Doragon****: Actually, I don't like AU stuff either, and I don't really think of this story as AU. But I'm glad you think it's cute anyways. Yes, my Alita has her name pronounced the same way as yours. That **_**is**_** weird. I guess more people use that name that I thought! **

**Aangsfan****: Of course he tries to tell Katara! He wouldn't be Aang if he didn't! And thanks!**

**kataangfan22****: I love fluff, but I'm not very good at writing it. Glad you thought it was cute!**

**Swimstar**** Glad you liked it!**

**firehawk101****: No, it doesn't. I made it up, (it took me a damn long time) but I make sure that the names I make up sound authentic and stuff. I actually made up a lot of the bending cat names in my Warriors stories. Some of them are real too though. Some of the names I'm using in here are real too. See if you can figure out which ones!**

**redskin122004****: Well, Aang is a tiger wolf, so of course he can't speak, but he can talk to other animals. That is an aspect I plan on exploiting. Thanks for the thumbs up!**

**Tokkalover****: Yay! Now the real fun begins, huh?**

**goldenwing57****: I know, it's driving me nuts! And I told you, she doesn't find out until the last chapter. I'm so mean!**

**libowiekitty****: I feel your pain, except I usually get in fights with my mom (my parents are divorced). Glad it made you feel better, and I'm happy that you like it!**

**ElicityFay****: I guess time will tell!**

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the tent flap the next morning, gently prompting Aang out of his sleep. He opened his eyes sluggishly; he had hoped to sleep in longer.

He felt something warm against his side, and turned his head to see Katara, still asleep, next to him. Aang sighed with relief. He was afraid that last night had been nothing more than a dream.

Looking around, Aang also noticed that Sokka and Alita were also still asleep. Shaking his head to clear the remainder of the sleep from it, Aang stood up, careful not to disturb Katara, and yawned. He slipped carefully out from underneath her arm and the blankets and turned to face her. Aang sighed again. Katara always looked so peaceful when she was asleep.

Even so, Aang was ready to start the day. So, be bent down and gently licked Katara's face until she began to arouse. She giggled slightly as Aang licked before reaching up and scratching him on the ears.

"You're lucky you're cute," she whispered in a good humored way, "Otherwise I'd be mad at you for waking me up so early."

Aang merely wagged his tail, happy that she was awake.

Katara pushed the blankets off of her and swung her feet over the bed. Aang hopped off and headed out stopped next to the pot in the center of the tent and turned around, looking at her expectantly. Katara pushed the flap aside and stared at him raising an eyebrow in confusion before she comprehended what he was trying to tell her.

"Of course," she said, standing up and walking over to the pot, "You want breakfast, don't you?"

Aang reared up on his hind feet slightly, still wagging his tail.

Katara smiled. "You act more human than any animal I've ever seen. I guess it just makes it easier to understand you."

Aang sat down and watched as Katara cooked breakfast, lost in thought.

_If only she knew,_ he thought. He wanted Katara to see who he was so badly, but he didn't know how to show her. He knew he had to do something only Aang would do, but what could that be?

Katara placed a bowl of warm meat in front of him, and Aang bent down to eat, figuring that he'd think of a way to show her. For now though, nothing said he couldn't have a little fun first.

Sokka and Alita came out of their beds an hour later, drawn by the smell of breakfast. Aang greeted Alita first, nuzzling her hand and whining excitedly.

"Good morning, Namyu!" Alita said happily as she patted his head. "Don't worry, I'll take you out to play later. Is that okay, Katara?"

Katara nodded. "Of course, Alita, I'm sure the other kids in the village will love him. And take him to see Akatora and the others. They'll like him too."

_Akatora?_ Aang wondered.

He shrugged the thought away, deciding he would worry about it later, and instead turned his sights to Sokka. The warrior had sat down beside his sister and was eating breakfast without hesitation.

_Glad to see you haven't changed much, Sokka,_ Aang thought with a mental laugh.

Remembering how Sokka had thought of him last night, Aang got an idea. He decided it was time for the warrior to accept him once and for all. And he wanted to make up for getting off on the wrong foot with him.

Getting up, Aang padded cautiously over to Sokka. He crouched down once he was close enough and crawled the rest of the way over. Aang whined slightly, getting Sokka's attention. Sokka turned his head to stare at him. Aang wagged his tail slightly, flattening his ears as a sign of submission.

"If you're looking for a hand out, it's not going to work," Sokka said flatly.

"He already ate this morning," Katara pointed out.

Deciding to press further, Aang crawled until he was directly beside Sokka before placing his head in his lap.

"Aw," Alita cooed, "He's apologizing to you, Sokka."

"For what?" Sokka asked confusedly, looking down at Aang.

"For the way you talked about him last night," Katara elaborated. "He wants you to see that he's not as ferocious as you think he is. He wouldn't even hurt a fly!"

Sokka stared at Aang and Aang stared back. After a minute, Sokka gave a sigh of submission and patted Aang on the head.

"Alright, you win," he finally said.

Aang wagged his tail again before getting up and retreating a respectful distance away.

A half hour later and everyone was done eating. Alita stood up and called Aang over to her. Aang scrambled happily onto his feet before heading over to the entrance and sitting down.

"I'll be back," Alita said over her shoulder as she headed toward the entrance.

"And when you get back, I have a new waterbending move to teach you," Katara told her.

Alita's eyes lit up. She loved learning new waterbending moves, and she swore that one day, she would be as good of a waterbender as Katara. So, with that thought, Alita headed outside, an excited tiger wolf pup in her wake.

ooo

"First I have to show you to my best friend, Umari," Alita told Aang as they raced through the village. "She's a waterbender too."

Aang gave a happy bark in understanding. He was keeping up with Alita surprisingly well, although his legs were shorter than hers and she had a longer stride.

"Umari!" Alita called.

A girl Alita's age lifted relaxed from the stance she was in and looked in Alita's direction. She smiled and waved before turning her head towards the women beside her.

"Can I go play now mom?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. "Yes. That's enough for today. Have fun!"

Umari nodded and ran off in Alita's direction, stopping once she was in front of her. She looked down at Alita's side, noticing that Aang was sitting there.

"Who's your friend?" she asked.

"This is Namyu," Alita explained, leaning down and patting Aang on the head. "He came to our tent last night howling and stuff, so we took him in."

"Betcha Sokka wasn't happy," Umari said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No," Alita answered, "But he got over it. Besides, he told me that Avatar Aang always took in weird pets. He should be used to them. He used to think Momo was weird."

Then the two started to walk around the village, in no certain direction it seemed. Aang followed.

_Does that mean Momo is here?_ Aang wondered. _Maybe Appa's here too!_

Aang hoped so. He would give anything to see Appa again.

_But he won't recognize you,_ Aang thought bitterly. _But I guess seeing him is better than nothing._

"You're going to take him to see Akatora later, right?" Umari said, startling Aang out of his thoughts.

"Of course," Alita said matter of factly. "He'll want to see him."

_There's that name again,_ Aang thought nervously. Who on earth was Akatora?

"Why don't we take Namyu to see him now?" Umari suggested.

"Sure!" Alita said excitedly. "Let's go! C'mon, Namyu."

Aang followed uncertainly.

They didn't stop until they had reached a huge barn of some sort. The smell of hay drifted towards Aang's nose, and a few other smells too, ones he thought were strangely familiar.

"Go on," Alita coaxed him, pushing him gently forward.

Aang looked back at Alita and Umari one last time before heading inside the barn. He heard Alita say once he was inside, "He should be fine now. C'mon, I want to show you something."

Their footsteps faded into the distance, and Aang was left alone. The tiger wolf pup walked carefully forward. Everything was still, and the only source of light came from the small window near the roof of the barn.

"Hello?" Aang called uncertainly. "Anyone here?"

A whooshing noise whistled past Aang's ears, and he suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. Aang stopped and pricked his ears, his body tense. The noise sounded again, and then everything was still. Aang scrunched up his face slightly in confusion.

And then suddenly, a white ball of fur careened into Aang, knocking him clear off his paws. He found himself on his back, looking straight into the green eyes of a very angry flying lemur.

"I knew I smelled an intruder!" Momo spat, fluffing his fur slightly. "Who are you? Who said you could be here?"

"I…well…," Aang struggled to explain, before his frightened rambling was cut off.

"Momo," came a voice from somewhere in the shadows of the barn, "Let him go. We don't even know who he is yet."

"He could be a comrade of Kaibutsu!" Momo insisted.

"Kaibutsu doesn't have any comrades," another, deeper voice said. "If he did, he'd kill them all. Now let him go."

Momo hissed softly before getting off from Aang. Now free, Aang sat up and shook his head. Upon looking up, he saw a dog step out of the shadows, followed by a very familiar flying bison.

_Appa!_ Aang thought happily, wanting to race over to his animal guide and tell him how much he had missed him. But Aang restrained himself from doing so, knowing Appa wouldn't recognize him.

The dog came forward and took a sniff at Aang. Gazing at him, Aang noticed that he had a scar that looked like a claw mark on his left eye.

"You're a tiger wolf, aren't you?" the dog asked.

Aang nodded, too nervous to do anything else.

"Are you a loner?" the dog asked again.

"No," Aang answered. "I'm living with Katara and Sokka."

The dog's features softened. "A fine pair, those two. You couldn't have asked for better owners. What's your name?"

"Namyu," Aang told him, straightening up once it became clear that this dog wouldn't hurt him.

"Namyu," he repeated thoughtfully. "Well, Namyu, I'm Akatora, a polar dog, and this flying bison behind me is Appa."

"So you're Akatora," Aang said. "Alita had been talking all day about me seeing you." He paused, before finishing, "I can see why you're called Akatora."

Akatora sat down, and Aang took in the polar dog's appearance. He was colored like a red husky, except the red part of him had darker red stripes. His fur wasn't as thick as a husky's; it was about as thick as Aang's coat was.

"So what's pup like you doing all the way out here?" Appa asked, lying down beside Akatora. Momo came down from the rafters in the barn and settled on top of Appa's head.

"My mother and my brothers and sisters were taken by poachers about a couple months ago," Aang told them, "I was then taken in by a saber toothed mink fox named Catali and stayed with her for a few weeks, and then she and her pups got killed by something. Something big, at least four times the size of me. I left, and came here."

Appa, Akatora and Momo murmured amongst themselves for a few moments, before Akatora asked, "Do you have any idea what killed Catali?"

"No," Aang said sadly, shaking his head. "But I've vowed to avenge her."

"Do you think it could be Kaibutsu?" Appa asked Akatora.

The polar dog nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds like something he would do."

"Excuse me for asking, but who is Kaibutsu?" Aang asked. "By the sound of his name, he doesn't sound very friendly."

"He's not," Appa informed him wisely. "He gave Akatora his scar. As for what he is, Kaibutsu is a cougar leopard, the biggest one in the whole South Pole, maybe the whole world. He's cold, heartless and cruel."

"Animals kill to live," Akatora continued, "But Kaibutsu lives to kill. He'd kill a pup like you without a second thought. But it's not just the fact that he's cruel that makes him dangerous, he's also very smart. He calculates his opponent's next move before strking."

"He's killed many," Appa picked up. "Animals and people. He kills just for the pleasure of killing."

"He wiped out all 20 of the polar dogs that used to be here," Akatora said bitterly, "Except me. He gave me this scar to remember him by though."

"He nearly took off the end of my tail!" Momo chattered indignantly.

"Does he come here regularly?" Aang asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Appa shook his head. "He comes when he pleases. That's what worries the people here. They never know when he's going to strike again."

Aang's head was reeling with this new information. He never knew such a terrible creature could ever exist.

Just then, a scream ripped through the air outside the barn. Momo flew off Appa's head and poked his head outside the door, recoiling almost immediately.

"What is it, Momo?" Akatora asked, suddenly nervous.

"It's Kaibutsu," Momo answered darkly. "He's back."

**A/N: Just everyone knows, 'Akatora' means red tiger in Japanese and 'Kaibutsu' means monster, also in Japanese. Review, review, or else I'll leave you hanging with this cliffhanger forever! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yo! I'm finally here! I don't have much to say, except that I'm going to the Adirondacks this Saturday, and I'm not coming back until next Saturday. I can't wait!**

**ElicityFay****: Aang doesn't have his Avatar powers, except for a really strong connection with the spirits, but maybe I'll throw some Avatar stuff in here. As for Katara and Sokka, I haven't gotten there yet. Just wait and see!**

**Kumori Doragon****: That was one of my first ideas for this story, to have Momo and Appa talk. I thought it would be interesting to write.**

**firehawk101****: NOOOOOO! NOT CAPTAIN SQUID FACE!!!!! Lol, that's what I call Davy Jones. I'm glad he dies! X)**

**ironhide11****: I'm allergic to pain! Here's your update, please don't hurt me!**

**Aangsfan****: But he can understand both humans and people, so that's good.**

**kataangfan22****: It **_**is**_** funny to picture them talking, but it's fun to write, especially Momo! I have no idea how long this story will be, but probably somewhere in the 10-15 chapter range.**

**Adverk****: Wow thanks! I'm glad you like it so much. I read your fanfic on the Avatar/Mary Sue thing. **_**That**_** was hilarious!**

**Vanille Strawberry****: No, Aang is going to grow up and become an adult, like Fluke did. Better get used to cliffhangers, because I love leaving them! –evil laugh-**

**Swimstar****: Maybe he will, maybe he won't. I'm not telling! –demonic smile-**

**30Kyu****: Here's your update!**

**redskin122004****: Appa seems really wise to me, so that's how I portray him in here. He has to be, being Aang's animal guide and all. No, Aang isn't going to tell them who he is yet, perhaps not at all. I haven't decided yet. ;)**

**Wannabeanauter****: Thanks for the favs, and don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this story any time soon!**

**Member of the Aang Fangirl Squad: Kumori Doragon, libowiekitty, Aechigo and TTAvatarfan**

"No…"Akatora breathed as the sounds of an intense battle became evident outside the barn doors.

"We have to go help," Appa told them, already pushing Momo away from the door and heading outside.

"I want to help!" Aang said eagerly, standing up.

"No," Akatora said firmly, pushing Aang back down until he was lying down. "This isn't your battle."

"But, he killed Catali!" Aang insisted, trying to stand back up, only to be pushed back down. "I can fight, she taught me how!"

"It's not that," Akatora said gently. "I just don't want your life to be sacrificed pointlessly. You're still young, and have a whole life to live. Do you want that to be taken away from you now?"

Aang was about to argue, before he stopped, thinking about his words. What Akatora said made sense. Besides, if he died now, he wouldn't have a chance to tell Katara or Sokka who he was.

Sighing reluctantly, Aang sat down as a sign that he understood.

Akatora nodded in approval before saying to Appa and Momo, "Alright men! Let's go!"

With that, they headed out the door.

Once Appa's tail had vanished outside the doors, Aang got up and trotted over to the doors himself before sat down, poking his head outside. Akatora said he couldn't come, but he didn't say he couldn't watch.

Already, there was a heated battle in progress. Warriors carrying spears and benders at the ready all raced in the same direction. There was a cry of, "Get the children in the tents!" as people raced around, looking very much frightened.

And then suddenly, the source of all the chaos himself appeared in front of the barn. Aang shrank back inside at the sight of him. Appa and Akatora weren't kidding when they said Kaibutsu was big. He was huge! He coat was like that of a clouded leopard, and his eyes were like ice. His long fangs gleamed viciously as he drew them back in a snarl.

Aang suddenly realized the source of Kaibutsu's anger: Appa and Akatora. Akatora leaped onto Kaibutsu with bared teeth, and sank them into the back of Kaibutsu's neck. Kaibutsu reared and bucked, throwing him off, but Akatora came up again, snarling.

While his attention was focused on Akatora, Appa charged into Kaibutsu's side, goring it with one of his horns.

Kaibutsu threw his head into the air with a roar of, "You goddamn bastard!" before he swung around, trying to lunge at Appa. But Appa stayed where he was, and instead dug his horn in deeper, pushing his head forward to make a huge gash.

Kaibutsu tried to lunge at him several times, but Appa turned as he did. Finally getting angry, Kaibutsu hissed, "You're a persistent little shit aren't you?"

"Keep talking Kaibutsu," Appa retorted, "And keep struggling. Because the more you talk and struggle, the deeper I'll push!"

He thrust his horn in farther. Kaibutsu yowled again before he reared up slightly and slashed at Appa's head with his front paw. It made contact, hard. Appa roared in pain. Kaibutsu hit him again and again before Appa finally let go, pulling his horn out of his side.

With a growl of triumph, and hardly noticing the deep wound Appa gave him, Kaibutsu turned his attention towards Akatora, who had leaped into the air, aiming for his throat. Kaibutsu, slammed him down into the snow with one of his huge front paws, and was about to crush him to death, when a spear was thrown into his side. Kaibutsu looked up, seeing several angry Water Tribe warriors throwing spears at him, and waterbenders whipping at him with water whips.

With a growl of frustration, Kaibutsu turned around, running through the village. The benders and warriors chased him, certain they would be driving him out for good.

But in the blink of an eye, Kaibutsu grabbed a little girl who wasn't inside of her tent all the way with his teeth. The girl screamed; a bloodcurdling sound that pierced the air. Kaibutsu bit down harder, and blood oozed from the girl's body.

"Kina!" her desperate mother cried. "My baby! No! Kina!"

"Never challenge me," Kaibutsu growled around Kina's bleeding body, "I always win."

With that, Kaibutsu raced off with Kina screaming helplessly in his jaws.

Akatora raced after him with Momo flying overhead. Several Water Tribe warriors followed until their forms disappeared into a dip of snow.

Aamg took the opportunity to race over to Appa, to see if his friend was okay.

"Appa!" Aang cried worriedly as he raced over to his friend's side, "Are you alright?"

"Just a few scratches," Appa replied. "Don't worry. That overgrown flee bag didn't hurt me any."

"But you gave him a nice gore wound," Aang said as he smiled. "I saw."

Appa nodded. "He won't be back for a while…I hope. And I hope the warriors can get Kina back."

"Does Kaibutsu always take someone off like that?" Aang asked.

"Sometimes," Appa answered. "He usually does most of his killing in the village, unless he's driven out like that. Then he takes a child or woman as revenge."

With this thought, brought many new unpleasant ones to Aang's mind.

_What if that had been Alita instead of Kina? Or Umari?_

His next thought made him feel sick.

_What if that had been Katara?_

Just then, Akatora and the Water Tribe Warriors entered camp, greeted by Kina's anxious mother. Her expression was hopeful and pleading. The warriors shook their heads.

A mournful cry was heard next, and Aang wanted to cover his ears so he didn't have to hear it. It sounded so sad, that Aang didn't think the poor woman would be able to contain it.

"We lost him," Akatora said sadly, Momo riding on his back with drooping ears. "We tried hard, but he disappeared behind a hill of snow and we couldn't him afterwards."

"I'm sorry," Aang said sympathetically.

"Don't be," Akatora assured him. "We will mourn Kina's death, but we will move on. There will be more times when Kaibutsu will attack, but we will be ready. There can be no peace unless he is dead."

It was then when Aang made a new goal: to become older and stronger, so that he could one day take down Kaibutsu for good.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Got back from the Adirondacks on Saturday, just as I promised! What a trip it was! Well anyway, I'll just shut up and update.**

**DemoncBrat 13****: Well, here it is!**

**firehawk101****: Yes! Die Davy Jones! XD**

**kataangfan22****: Yeah, Kaibutsu's not very nice. He needs to go down! Thank you, I did have fun in the Adirondacks. A lot of fun!**

**Soulreaper46****: If you want to join the Aang Fangirl squad, you need to ask libowiekitty. She's the founding member. But I'm pretty sure she'll let you in! Thanks, I'm glad you like it!**

**redskin122004****: Meh, let's just say Sokka was fighting and Katara was protecting Alita inside the tent. Yeah man, Appa kicks butt!**

**Swimstar****: I'm sorry, I'll try to make my chapters longer. But it's only because I'm saving up for the big ending.**

**goldenwing57****: You have a wrath? –looks ready to kill me- Okay! Okay! You have a wrath! Trust me, I want to kill Kaibutsu too. MWHAHAHAHA!!!**

**Avvygirl****: Yeah, it does seem weird, but that's just how it turned out. Keep reading, and all your questions will be answered!**

**Kaiyt****: Sure, I would love illustrations of Kaibutsu and Aang! I actually doodle Aang all the time as a tiger wolf. But if you want to draw them, here's how I imagine them: Think of Kaibutsu as a giant clouded leopard, about half Appa's size with blue eyes and lots of muscles. Aang is shaped like a wolf, but he's white, and has a black arrow on his forehead that goes down his back like a dorsal stripe on a horse (except Aang's stripe is thicker) and he has stripes that extend off that dorsal stripe that run down his side and stop at his belly. Those stripes stop on his hind end, right before his tail. Was that descriptive enough for you? I hope so!**

**KataangNutyBabe****: Yay violence! Poor Kina…**

**Member of the Aang Fangirl Squad: Kumori Doragon, libowiekitty, Aechigo, TTAvatarfan, Invaderk, Twilight Rose2, KataangNutyBabe, and goldenwing57**

One year later…

Aang cracked his eyes opened as sunlight streamed through the tent. Another beautiful day, it seemed like. Aang stood up carefully from the end of Katara's bed and stretched before looking at Katara longingly, wishing he was still small enough to fit under the blankets with her. But he wasn't; he was a year old now, and fully grown.

Aang sighed and hopped off the bed onto the floor. A lot of things had changed in a year. Alita was well on her way to becoming a master waterbender, Katara had turned 15, and Sokka was 16 going on 17.

And that wasn't all. Lately, a boy Katara's age had been showing up to the tent. Habakku, if Aang remembered correctly. He was a waterbender as well, from the North Pole. And of course, Katara and Habakku were good friends, but Aang was beginning to worry that Habakku's feelings for Katara were getting stronger.

Aang sighed again and sat down next to the cooking pot in the middle of the tent, waiting for Katara and Sokka to get up. Soon enough, Katara came out. Aang wagged his tail slightly at seeing her, his heart leaping pitifully for the beautiful waterbender.

"Good morning, Namyu," Katara greeted him groggily as she scratched him behind the ears. She then set about to cooking breakfast.

Aang couldn't take his eyes off her; Katara was even more beautiful since she had turned 15, and it frustrated Aang to no end that he wasn't human and couldn't tell her that himself.

A loud yawn distracted him from his thoughts, and Aang turned to see Sokka and Alita pushing the tent flap out of the way so they could get breakfast. Once they sat down to eat, a bowl of tiger seal meat was placed in front of Aang, and he began to eat himself.

ooo

Breakfast was finished a little while later. Aang lay off to the side until the commotion of cleaning up breakfast had died down. Then, unexpectedly, Sokka called Aang over to him.

"Today, you're going to earn your keep, Namyu," Sokka told him, gathering up a few spears and knives and strapping them to his back in a sheath. "We're going hunting together. Hopefully we'll be able to bring down something big enough to last us and the village for a while."

The prospect of a hunt excited Aang slightly. As a tiger wolf, hunting was in his blood. He bounced up and down on his hind feet and jumped up, placing his front feet on Sokka's chest, nearly knocking the warrior over.

Katara giggled in amusement as Sokka pushed Aang down. "Save it for the hunt!" Sokka said in a surprised, strangled voice.

"Be careful you two," Katara warned. "Watch out for snake wolves. Dad spotted a pack of them a few miles away from the village."

"Namyu and I can take them, right?" Sokka told his sister confidently as he looked down at Aang. Aang barked once in answer.

Sokka laughed appreciatively before he grabbed a huge industrial sled they kept against the wall of the tent and headed outside with Aang trotting at his heels.

ooo

After a good hour and a half of wandering around with no game in sight, Sokka was just about ready to give up. Even the fish under the ice were hiding from him!

"Alright Namyu," Sokka finally said. "We're going to circle this area one more time before we call it quits."

Aang merely followed Sokka in his chosen direction.

Just then, a tantalizing smell drifted towards Aang's nose. He stopped and lifted his head, scenting the air and hoping he could pinpoint the smell's direction. Once he did, he took off, his tail straight up in the air and his tongue lolling in excitement. Aang vaguely heard Sokka scrambling after him, yelling at him to slow down.

However, Aang only slowed down once he sensed that whatever had produced the smell was close.

And there it was, a full grown mammoth caribou digging for frozen tundra grass, and big enough to feed half the village.

Sokka crouched down, patting Aang on the head.

"Alright, way to go, Namyu!" Sokka praised, careful to keep his voice low. "This was more than I had ever dreamed of catching!"

Aang crouched down, his hunting instincts and Catali's teachings kicking in. He began to crawl slowly around, careful to stay behind the few hills of snow. Sokka understood what Aang was doing and stayed where he was, knowing that Aang was going to chase the mammoth caribou towards him so he could kill it.

Aang could feel his muscles bunching underneath him, preparing to run. It occurred to him that the mammoth caribou might try to fight back, but that was a risk he was going to have to take.

With a slight growl, Aang leaped from behind his snow bank and raced towards the huge wooly animal, barking loudly. The mammoth caribou lifted up its head in alarm and took off running, right in Sokka's direction. Aang kept up stride for stride, nipping at its legs and snarling.

Suddenly, a spear whizzed through the air and hit the mammoth caribou straight in the chest. The huge animal bellowed in pain as blood began to ooze from the wound. Another spear struck it in the hindquarters, disabling its movement in its left hind leg.

Two more spears were thrown, both hitting their mark in the mammoth caribou's shoulders. Sokka was all out of weapons, besides his knife, so all both he and Namyu could do was wait.

After what seemed like an eternity, the mammoth caribou staggered from the loss of so much blood and fell, bellowing its last breath before it lay limp.

Sokka immediately ran over to the carcass and began cutting out pieces of meat and plopping them on the sled, knowing he had to be quick in case another animal smelled the blood and came over to investigate.

Just then, a growl mixed with an eerie sounding hiss was heard. The hair on the back of Sokka's neck raised, and he stopped dead in his task. The warrior turned around fearfully, finding himself face to face with a pack of deadly, famished snake wolves.

Sokka moved very slowly, trying to reach for one of his spears. The snake wolves growled and hissed, waving their longish necks to and fro. Then, they raced towards Sokka, their teeth bared and a crazed look in their eyes.

Sokka tossed one of his spears, but it missed completely, and the warrior cowered in fear, preparing to be torn apart.

But instead, an enraged snarl was heard, and the sound of running feet stopped. Sokka dared to open his eyes, and saw Aang standing right in front of him, his head low and teeth bared.

"Make one move and you'll be torn apart," Aang threatened, the hair on his shoulders raised.

"You're outnumbered," the leader of the snake wolves hissed as deadly venom dripped from his razor sharp teeth.

"Yes," agreed another snake wolf, "It is _you_ who will be torn apart!"

There was a pause, before the snake wolf leader growled, "Attack! Show no mercy!"

In unison, all five snake wolves leaped. Before they reached him, Aang dodged out of the way and turned around, snarling.

"Are you so much of a coward that you cannot stand and fight?" one snake wolf taunted.

Aang didn't reply as that same snake wolf came charging towards him. But this time he didn't run. He waited, knowing what he had to do.

_Their necks are long,_ Aang thought._ That means their spine must be weak. My neck is shorter and stronger._

Aang smirked as the snake wolf ran at him its jaws preparing open, revealing several sharp teeth. Aang shrank his head as close to his body as he could, bracing himself before he rammed his forehead against the other snake wolf's forehead. A sickening crack was heard, before the snake wolf fell backwards, dead. His neck was broken as Aang had used his head like a battering ram against him. Aang raised his head, a small river of blood trickling down his forehead from the impact.

One down, four to go.

Enraged, two more snake wolves raced towards him on both sides. Once they were close enough, Aang reared on his hind legs and grabbed one snake wolf by the back of its neck and lifted it up, throwing it into the other snake wolf. Once they recovered, the two snake wolves scrambled up and raced away, whimpering.

"Who's the coward now?" Aang called after them.

"Shut your damn mouth!" another snake wolf snarled as he leaped.

Aang reared again and kicked the shaggy thing out of the way with his front paws before he pounced on it and killed it with a bite to the throat.

The tiger wolf stood up, his mouth stained with blood. He panted from the effort, knowing that the battle wasn't over yet. He still had to defeat-

"Well," the leader hissed as he approached Aang. "Looks like I underestimated you."

Aang turned towards him, his teeth bared and a growl rising in his throat.

"I'll make sure you pay for killing my comrades," the snake wolf leader hissed.

For a moment, they stood facing each other before Aang's opponent raced forward. Aang stood still, waiting to see what he would do. The snake wolf leader prepared to sink his teeth into Aang's shoulder, but Aang saw his move coming and leaped into the air. He came down fast, aiming for the snake wolf leader's shoulder. He sliced his teeth through it before landing and jumping again, slicing through his neck. Aang continued to land and jump, using his teeth to cut various parts of the snake wolf leader's body. The snake wolf leader took the attack, paralyzed.

Finally, Aang landed and grabbed his neck, slamming him down into the snow before snapping his spine in two.

Aang stood up, his sides heaving and his front stained with blood, before he threw his head back and howled to the heavens in victory. Sokka finally found the courage to stand, staring at Aang in awe. He couldn't believe that this tiger wolf possessed such bravery and skill.

When Aang stopped howling, he trotted over to Sokka and nuzzled his nose in his hand, as if looking for praise. Sokka smiled and patted Aang on the head.

"Good boy," Sokka whispered. "You saved my life."

_This wasn't the first time, Sokka,_ Aang thought to himself.

After a few more moments, Sokka finally said. "Alright, let's get the rest of the meat and head back. Katara's probably wondering where I am."

Aang sat down and watched Sokka perform his task, thinking how proud Katara would be of him.

ooo

"Oh my god! What happened to Namyu?" was the first thing that came out of Katara's mouth when Sokka and Aang headed through the door.

"Snake wolves happened," Sokka answered. "But he wasn't hurt. That's the snake wolves' blood on him. He took care of them good."

"Well, get him inside so I can clean him up," Katara ordered, obviously very concerned as she headed towards the back.

Aang followed her towards the back of the tent, hearing Alita ask, "So what did you catch, Sokka?"

Aang stopped beside the area where the beds were kept, but Katara kept going on. This was strange; Aang had never known there was more to the tent. But the sound of Katara's voice calling his name encouraged him to follow.

The tiger wolf pushed his way through the area between the beds and the wall of the tent, to find himself in another room. The room was large, and had a window off to one side looking over the horizon where the sun touched the water. The window was big enough so that this room had a ridiculous amount of light entering it. There was also a bed on the opposite side. But unlike the other rooms in the house, this room had no pelts hanging in it, and the walls were various shades of blue instead of brown.

_But who could this room belong to? _Aang wondered. _It's just me, Sokka, Alita, and Katara. Who else would need this room?_

"Come here, Namyu," Katara instructed suddenly, pulling Aang out of his thoughts. Aang did as he was told and walked forward before he sat down in front of Katara. Katara took a wet cloth out of the bucket of warm water beside her and proceeded to wash the blood of Aang's front. Aang found himself sighing in pleasure at the gentle way Katara cleaned him off. But then again, Katara was gentle in everything she did.

_Except fighting,_ Aang added mentally.

When Katara reached his forehead, she paused, tracing the black arrow slightly before she dabbed the cut there lightly.

"This was going to be his room, Namyu," Katara said softly. "We made it special, so that he would feel happy here and always have a home to come to."

Aang cocked his head slightly once Katara put the bloodied cloth back into the bucket. Then, the waterbender got up and sat down on the bed, grabbing an object from the corner of the room and holding it, looking down at it sadly. Aang stood up and followed Katara, whining and looking at Katara with questioning eyes.

"Then on the day of the final battle," Katara continued, tears forming in her eyes as she relived the awful memory, "I never thought he would…he promised me he would come back alive! The Fire Lord…he…he killed him…"

Tears slipped down Katara's cheeks and she clutched the object in her hands tighter.

"That's why we adopted Alita," Katara finished, the sobs becoming nearly impossible to hold back. "It was what he would've wanted us to do. I couldn't save Aang, so I saved Alita."

A sob finally ended Katara's story, her knuckles white from holding the object in her hand so tightly. Aang put his front paws on the bed and looked down at it, and with a sickening jolt he realized the object was-

_My staff…_Aang suddenly figured it out. He couldn't believe it…

Hopping up all the way onto the bed, Aang nuzzled Katara's face in an attempt to comfort her. Her response was throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into it.

"I miss him so much!" Katara sobbed. "Why did he have to be taken away from me? Why are the spirits so cruel?"

Aang knew he couldn't give her any consolation other than sitting where he was and letting Katara cry her loss and sorrow all over him.

_Someday Katara,_ Aang promised, _Someday I'll tell you who I really am, even if it's the last thing I do._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: No, I didn't die, and I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. The season 3 vibe is really exciting me, and I can't wait for it to come out! Even though I don't want school to start…XP But hey, I've still got a while. Oh, and there's only going to be one more chapter after this, then this story is done! Yay!**

**Kaiyt****: I can't remember if I already responded to your review in a PM or not, but oh well. Kaibutsu doesn't have any specific markings or anything, but if you wanted to add a few random scars, that could work. I can't wait to see how the pictures come out!**

**Aangsfan****: Glad you like it so much!**

**libowiekitty****: Don't worry, Katara will find out who he is next chapter. That whole last scene has actually been in my head for a while, but I didn't know how I could fit it into the story, so yeah. I guess it worked out in the end!**

**firehawk101****: Thanks!**

**Avvygirl****: NO! NOT KAIBUTSU! Actually, I think you'll like Habakku in the end. Just keep reading and don't kill me!**

**Swimstar****: Thanks, and here it is!**

**goldenwing57****: Well, it's kinda hard to tell someone who you are when you can't talk to them. Katara will find out next chapter though, don't worry. Can't wait for your birthday! Season 3 trailer…XD**

**aangxxxkatara****: Okay, I guess I'll update…joking, of course I'll update!**

**DemonicBrat 13****: Of course she'll find out! It wouldn't be a good story if she didn't!**

**DuHSPaZZiNGFel****: Why did you have to change your pen name? I like this one though. And thanks!**

**Member of the Aang Fangirl Squad: Kumori Doragon, libowiekitty, Aechigo, TTAvatarfan, Invaderk, Twilight Rose2, KataangNutyBabe, and goldenwing57**

Aang wandered aimlessly around the village, unable to push Katara's crying spell out of his mind. Knowing that she missed him that much…

Of course, Katara and Aang pushed their way back into the tent's main area acting as if Katara didn't have an emotional breakdown all over him. Sokka had looked at them suspiciously, but said nothing. A few minutes later, Habakku had arrived and asked Katara to take a walk with him. Nodding and a slight blush spreading over her cheeks, Katara had agreed. Aang had to hold down a growl of frustration as he padded forcefully out of the tent.

But what was he so angry about? Habakku hadn't done anything wrong. All in all, he seemed like a very nice young man. He played with Alita occasionally and he and Sokka would get into long conversations about "warrior stuff" as they called it. Sokka didn't even seem to mind that Habakku was a bender.

_You're just jealous,_ a voice mocked in his head.

_Okay, I'm jealous, _Aang admitted, _Because I have no way of telling Katara who I am, and much less of a way to tell her that I love her. It's just frustrating._

"Namyu?" a voice called, followed by the sound of running feet. A flash of red and white fur soon appeared beside him.

"Hey, Akatora," Aang greeted tonelessly.

"What's wrong?" Akatora asked. "You haven't stopped by to see us all day."

_Nothing you'd understand,_ Aang thought, before he answered, "I'm fine."

Akatora gave him a look that told him he wasn't convinced.

Aang sighed and said, "It's nothing you would understand."

"Maybe I would, if you'd tell me," Akatora countered, though not harshly.

There was a pause, before Aang decided to try his luck. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Another pause ensued as Akatora thought this over. "I hear how the people of this Tribe talk about the Avatar being reincarnated. They're worried because the next Avatar hasn't revealed itself yet, and it's been over a year since the last one died."

_Because I'm technically still alive,_ Aang figured, before he continued, "Well, I mean, do you believe that a person can die and be reborn into an animal?"

"I suppose it's not entirely impossible," Akatora answered. "The spirits do strange things, but they always have a reason for doing what they do."

"Well, why do you think they would reincarnate someone?" Aang asked, growing intrigued.

"Because that certain creature they reincarnate has some unfinished business left to accomplish in the physical world," Akatora finally answered after a moment of thinking, "Either that, or they have a destiny laid down for them by the spirits."

They walked in silence for a few minutes as Aang took this in. He knew he had unfinished business left to do here, and that was to tell Katara he loved her. But what if he had a destiny that had to be fulfilled too?

"Why do you ask, Namyu?" Akatora wondered.

Aang paused for a minute and stopped walking. Akatora stopped with him.

"Well," Aang started uncertainly, "I"-

Just then, a loud crash was heard, forcing both dogs to raise their heads in alarm, their ears pricked. A shadow passed over their heads, and Aang and Akatora looked up to see Momo flying above them, chattering warningly.

"Oh no," Akatora breathed.

"What is it?" Aang asked, suddenly nervous.

"Kaibutsu," the polar dog answered. "He's come again."

The cougar leopard in question suddenly revealed itself behind them, snarling and teeth flashing.

"Namyu! Get out of here!" Akatora shouted above the turmoil of warriors and benders readying themselves for battle.

"No! I'm going to stay with you and fight!" Aang argued. "I not a pup anymore!"

There was a crashing sound as Kaibutsu fled to another part of the village, before Akatora finally said, "Very well. Follow me."

With that, he took off, Aang hot on his heels.

Appa was already trying to hold Kaibutsu off when they got there, growling and his head low.

"You again?" Kaibutsu snarled.

"Aw, you remembered me, how flattering," Appa shot back, thoroughly annoyed with his attitude. "I'll make sure this is the last time you invade the South Pole."

"Cocky bastard," Kaibutsu smirked, before lunging forward and sinking his long sabers into Appa's shoulder. The sky bison roared in pain before swinging himself around, trying desperately to ram one of his horns into Kaibutsu's side.

"Appa! Hang on!" Aang cried as he and Akatora leaped in unison to land on top of the enormous cougar leopard. Aang dug his teeth into the back of his neck while Akatora bit down further down his spine.

Kaibutsu threw his head back in a roar of anguish, letting go of Appa, and giving the sky bison time to thrust his horn into his side. He roared again, louder this time and leaped up into the air, throwing all three of his adversaries off balance.

Aang was thrown into a building made of hard packed snow, the back of his head hitting it. It dazed him enough so that he couldn't see the impending danger. The building he had crashed into swayed until it began to topple towards him. Aang stared at it in shock before bracing himself, preparing to be crushed.

But the impact never came. Instead, a waterbender stood above him, its hands outstretched as it held up the pile of snow.

_Katara?_ Aang thought dazedly. But upon closer inspection, he realized the waterbender that had saved his life had not been Katara, but-

"Alita!" he barked in surprise, even though he couldn't understand him.

"Run Namyu!" Alita said urgently, straining, "I can't hold it up much longer!"

Aang hastily scrambled to his feet before racing away, trying to locate Kaibutsu once more. The cougar leopard had disappeared once more. But the sounds of war cries told him that he couldn't be far. Following the sounds, Aang soon found himself face to face with Kaibutsu once again. And what he saw taking place wasn't good.

"You little shits!" Kaibutsu growled manically as he tossed yet another water warrior to the side, "I'll massacre you all one by one!"

"Attack!" a call sounded out, and a dozen spears followed it. Kaibutsu dodged before coming in again, snatching up another warrior and tossing it against yet another snow structure.

A water whip came out of nowhere, attracting the huge beast's attention. His eyes glinted with hatred and his ears flattened as he lunged towards the source. Looking in that direction Kaibutsu was heading, Aang realized he was heading for-

"Katara!" he cried. "No! Katara!"

Katara's look of brave determination soon turned to pure fear as she realized she had no way to defend herself. Aang made to leap forward, but soon another figure jumped in front of Katara so that he was grabbed instead. Kaibutsu clamped his jaws down hard before tossing the figure away.

"Habakku!" Katara screamed before racing to his side.

_That was Habakku?_ Aang thought disbelievingly. Habakku had just risked his life, and possibly just had it taken away, to save Katara?

Now Aang understood. Habakku would do anything for Katara, just like Aang would. He would willingly risk his life for her, just like Aang would. It was then that he realized that he and Habakku weren't so different after all.

With a sadistic growl, Kaibutsu took off.

"After him!" Akatora barked. A few Water Tribe warriors followed him, including Sokka. Not about to be left behind, Aang followed and soon joined Akatora at the front.

"Namyu?" he questioned, surprised to see him.

"I'm going to help whether you want me to or not," Aang said pointedly.

"Good," the polar dog said surprisingly. "We'll need your help."

Aang gave him a grateful look before turning his attention back to Kaibutsu's fleeing form.

ooo

"The blasted beast gave us the slip again!" a warrior said, frustrated.

"Don't give up yet, Taluk," Hakoda replied. "I'm sure there's some way we can track him down."

There was a pause before Sokka said excitedly, "What about Namyu? He's a great tracker. He helped me find that mammoth caribou when I couldn't find anything. And he helped me bring him down."

Hakoda looked thoughtful, before he finally said, "Alright. We'll send Namyu and Akatora after Kaibutsu. They'll chase him here, and then we'll take him down."

The other warriors nodded in agreement.

Sokka kneeled down between the two dogs, giving them each a pat on the head.

"Alright, you know what to do," he said in a low voice. "Now, go on."

He pushed them forward lightly and they took off over the icy tundra, their noses to the ground.

ooo

It didn't take long before they reached the end of Kaibutsu's scent trail. It lead directly into a large, dark cave, big enough to hold the cougar leopard.

"Why must trails always lead to big, spooky caves?" Aang muttered.

_I'm starting to sound like Sokka,_ he thought, slightly mortified.

"He's in there now," Akatora murmured. "We need to get him out somehow."

"He'll want to fight, won't he?" Aang guessed.

"Knowing Kaibutsu, yes," Akatora agreed. "So we have to be very careful."

With that, the two of them crept into the cave, crawling. When they got inside, they were surprised to see no one inside. There was no sound except for the occasional chip of ice hitting the ground that had come from a stalagmite.

Akatora sighed, standing up, his breath visible in front of him. "We should go back. He's not here."

Suddenly, a pair of ice blue eyes appeared in the darkness, and with them came the rest of Kaibutsu.

"Akatora, look out!" Aang cried, jumping on top of him as Kaibutsu sailed over their heads.

"I won't let you two out of here alive," Kaibutsu threatened, advancing on them.

Aang and Akatora growled, baring their teeth before they lunged forward. Kaibutsu leaped forward as well. The two dogs jumped off his head to land on his back, where they bit down on areas of his spine.

Kaibutsu howled in pain before he started bucking. Not strong enough to hold on, Aang and Akatora went flying to hit the walls of the cave. As they did, two stalagmites came crashing down to land in the middle of the cave floor.

At this, Akatora looked up at the ceiling, and then back at Kaibutsu, who was readuing another attack, knowing what he had to do.

"Namyu, get out of here," he ordered, standing up.

"And leave you alone? No way!" Aang argued.

"Please," Akatora insisted. "I don't want you to get hurt with what I'm about to do."

"Akatora, I won't leave you!" Aang countered.

The old polar dog turned towards him, a look in his eyes that told Aang he had to do this alone.

"Grow great Namyu," he murmured, accepting his immanent death, "Grow strong. Become the great warrior you were destined to be."

Turning back around, Akatora leapt into the air towards Kaibutsu, aiming for his head. The cougar leopard opened his jaws, ready to deal the killing bite. But this was exactly what Akatora wanted. He latched onto his top jaw and bit down hard. Kaibutsu growled and slammed him against the cave wall, trying to dislodge him; but Akatora held on. Kaibutsu slammed him again, harder and harder. However, he didn't notice that the cave walls began to rumble, and that stalagmites and other larger rocks coated in ice began to fall.

"I've taken my revenge for my comrades," Akatora told Kaibutsu in a low voice.

Aang realized what was happening the moment Kaibutsu did. Backing towards the entrance, he heard Akatora speak again, his jaws still clamped onto their target.

"Tell Appa I'm sorry," he said above the roar of the falling rocks. "Tell him that Akatora," he bit down harder, a look of determination on his face, "died like a real dog!"

Then, the rest of the ceiling caved in, burying both Akatora and Kaibutsu under over a ton of rocks.

Aang, who had raced out of the cave, ran back inside once the rumbling stopped. Everything was so quiet…

"Akatora?" he called, still clinging to the faint chance that he was alive. "Akatora, please, answer me!"

He began scanning the wreckage, moving stones out of the way, until he caught a glimpse of a limp red and white shape. Moving more stones out of the way, Aang soon discovered it was Akatora, dead.

The familiar feeling of grief crashed down on him, causing Aang to lower his head as a sign of sorrow and respect for what Akatora had just done. He had given up his life to save the Southern Water Tribe. That's what dogs were supposed to do after all; willingly put their lives in danger for the people they loved.

Aang took the scruff of his neck and dragged him out, deciding to bury him next to the place where he had given up his life. He would honor Akatora for the rest of his life, as would the rest of the South Pole.

And a few hours after Aang left, a single rock moved on the pile, signaling that life was stirring beneath it.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Wow! Mega fast update! Well, as the last chapter, I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations!**

**Aangsfan****: Thanks!**

**Soulreaper46****: Maybe he is! I guess we'll never know…**

**Wannabeanauter****: Yeah, he is. Oh poopy…XD**

**DuHSPaZZiNGFeL****: Oh well! Like I said, I like this pen name just as well as your other one. I know what you mean! I'm telling you, when I first saw the trailer, I started squealing really loud, and my aunt who was visiting told me to calm down. But I didn't! Aang and Sokka look so hawt!**

**Shadowsole****: Meh, I like sad stuff. Thanks for the review!**

**Swimstar****: Here's the end for ya!**

**firehawk101****: Habakku didn't die, if that's what you want to know. Was this a fast enough update for you:) **

**kataangfan22****: Yay! You're back! Did you have fun…wherever it is you went? Yes, Akatora is dead. So sad!**

**goldenwing57****: I know! I can't wait either! And for my birthday, I can't wait to show you this cool trick I can do with the trailer. I can change the music! How you say? You'll just have to find out!**

**Member of the Aang Fangirl Squad: Kumori Doragon, libowiekitty, Aechigo, TTAvatarfan, Invaderk, Twilight Rose2, KataangNutyBabe, and goldenwing57**

"Oh, Habakku, this is terrible," Katara said with the utmost concern as she sat by his bedside, Aang beside her.

"Don't worry, Katara," Habakku assured her in a whisper, "I'll be okay."

"But those wounds are so deep," Katara continued, her voice rising slightly, "And you lost so much blood…"

Her eyes filled with tears and she took his hand in hers. Aang nuzzled her arm.

"You're acting like I'm going to die," Habakku said with a slight smile.

"But you could," Katara told him softly. She paused, taking a shuddering breath before finishing, "I don't want to lose you, Habakku. I love you."

Aang's ears pricked, but this time, he felt no jealousy. He knew by the way Habakku looked at Katara that he loved her too.

"I promise, you won't lose me," Habakku said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll still be alive when you come back."

Katara nodded, tears running down her cheeks as she stood up.

"C'mon, Namyu," she said in a shaky voice. "Time to go home. I need to ask Sokka something."

Aang followed her out, his steps slow and deliberate.

ooo

"Are you sure you want to go?" Sokka asked later once Katara had gotten home that evening. "It's dark out, and I won't like the thought of you going out alone."

"I won't be alone Sokka," Katara assured him, a tinge of annoyance in her voice, "I'll take Namyu with me."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her, still not convinced.

"Sokka, please, this is important," Katara begged, "I have to go. I just want to visit him."

Her brother finally sighed after a moment, giving in.

"Fine, but be careful," he told her as she put on her coat and pulled her hood over her head, "We're still not sure if Kaibutsu truly died in that rock fall Namyu led us to."

"I highly doubt anyone, even Kaibutsu, could survive a cave in like that," Katara said in a matter of fact voice, leaving her brother shaking his head at her as she grabbed a small lantern and headed out of the tent.

Aang trotted at her heels, wondering where exactly they were going. What could demand such importance when it was already so late? Aang looked up at her face worriedly, though it was concealed from his view by her hood. He became especially concerned when Katara kept walking even when she reached the end of the village. But from the determined way she was walking, Aang knew that she knew where she was going.

Soon, a small light appeared in front of them, and shadows began to take shape. Before he knew it, Aang found himself standing in front of an archway made of ice, guarded by two totem poles that held the faces of water spirits. Katara walked through, so Aang followed.

The young tiger wolf found himself dodging different-shaped blocks of ice that upon further inspection had certain inscriptions on them.

_Headstones, _he realized. _We're in a cemetery!_

However, Katara didn't stop walking, not until she reached the very back of the cemetery. But when she did, Aang's mouth dropped open in shock.

A small version of a cathedral of ice stood in front of him, sporting intricate carvings all along its outside. Two mighty glass doors guarded whatever might have been inside, and they looked impossible to open. However, Katara seemed unfazed by this. She merely blew an icy breath into the locks on the door which stood eye level with her. The locks turned and the door opened in front of them. Katara them walked through, Aang following her warily.

Luckily, they didn't have far to walk. The inside of the cathedral was very small, and the only thing it contained lay right at its center, a small stone coffin protected in a coating of ice so that no one could steal the precious body that laid inside.

The light from Katara's lantern stopped on the coffin, and Aang heard her heave a misty sigh.

"It doesn't feel like Aang died a year ago, Namyu," Katara said sadly, "It seems like only yesterday we rescued him from that iceberg."

There was a pause as Katara adjusted her lantern so that it illuminated a small inscription carved into the ice on the bottom of the coffin.

"No matter where you go, we'll always be with you," Katara read, "We'll keep you in ourhearts forever"

It was then that Aang realized this was _his _grave. Katara must have engraved that inscription herself, trying comfort him even in death. He remembered very well the terrifying feeling of leaving his friends as everything had faded into darkness.

"I just hope that wherever he is, he's happy," Katara continued, her voice cracking slightly. "I hope he doesn't miss us too much…"

The waterbender sniffled, and Aang turned around to press his nose into her hand. He didn't want to see her cry. So instead, he tugged on her sleeve in the direction of the door gently, trying to suggest that they leave. Katara seemed to get the message, because she followed him out, sparing one last look at the coffin before she shut the door behind her.

However, as soon as the doors locked behind her, a terrible snarling noise was heard that made Katara freeze and Aang's hair rise on the back of his neck. Another growl sounded in the distance, and then all was silent. Suddenly, a huge shape loomed in out of the shadows, standing at the other end of the cemetery, and they both recognized it to be none other than Kaibutsu.

Aang heard Katara gasp in fear as the cougar leopard opened his jaws in a challenging roar. He was clearly looking for revenge on the Southern Water Tribe for what they had done to him. His wounds stood out ominously against the light of the moon and Katara's lantern.

"Namyu, go get Sokka," Katara whispered, her eyes still not leaving Kaibutsu.

Aang turned to stare at her, his face a mixture of surprise and fear. He raised one fore paw to run, then hesitated.

"Go Namyu! Run!" she said more forcefully, pushing him towards the entrance. Aang raced forward, then stopped as he heard Kaibutsu's enraged roar. Turning to survey the scene, he saw Katara take up a defiant waterbending stance. Kaibutsu charged forward. Reflexively, Katara summoned a large portion of snow and froze into ice in front of her. Kaibutsu merely reared up and batted it away with one fore paw, sending Katara flying in the process. She landed a good yard away, the shards of ice cutting her skin. Kaibutsu padded slowly over to her, baring his teeth. Too stunned to defend herself, Katara merely braced herself for death.

Suddenly, Aang appeared in front of her, standing between her and Kaibutsu, his head low and teeth bared savagely. Kaibutsu backed away a few feet in surprise.

"Lay one paw on her, and I'll kill you," Aang growled in a dangerously low voice, his body shaking with fury.

Kaibutsu laughed. A cold, heartless laugh. "_You_, kill _me_? You ignorant little bastard. I've survived every attack the Water Tribe has thrown at me. I've defeated a mammoth caribou bigger than you've ever thought possible. I've taken out an entire tiger wolf pack before! You couldn't even kill me in a rock fall, and you think you can kill me now, when you're all alone?"

"I'm not alone," Aang said with ferocity, "I have the spirits of everyone you've killed beside me, the spirits of my past lives within me, and all the hope and love of the South Pole in my heart. That is more than you'll ever have, Kaibutsu. I'll tear you to pieces!"

Gritting his teeth, Aang charged forward, his feet thudding hard against the packed snow. Kaibutsu smirked and lowered his head, preparing to grab Aang by the neck. At the last second, Aang leaped into the air and sliced his teeth down Kaibutsu's side before landing in the snow on the other side. He turned and jumped again, raking his fangs against Kaibutsu's body once more. Kaibutsu took the attack, stunned.

Aang didn't let up, though. His attack only got faster, his fangs sinking in deeper, but not too deep.

"_Remember," Catali said to Aang in a voice full of wisdom, "You mustn't allow your body to get pinned in a fight, or it's all over for you. Cut with your fangs and don't allow your opponent to move. Then move in for the final blow."_

Aang sliced the back of Kaibutsu's neck as he recalled Catali's advice. He couldn't let her down, and he couldn't let Katara get hurt.

The waterbender in question meanwhile had stood up, watching in awe as Aang risked his life for her. She also didn't fail to notice that Aang was winning. Could it be possible that he could defeat Kaibutsu?

"That's enough!" Kaibutsu shouted forcefully as Aang crossed over in front of him. He reached down with lightening fast reflexes, and grabbed Aang by the tail before slammed him down into the snow.

Katara gasped, her eyes widening. Kaibutsu would almost certainly kill him.

"Spare his life," she prayed desperately to whatever spirit that might have been listening, "Please. I don't want to lose Namyu too."

The huge cougar leopard reared up and slammed Aang again onto the opposite side. Realizing he had control of his opponent, Kaibutsu reared and slammed once more, before his attack grew faster.

Finding some strength, Aang curled his body forward as he was being lifted into the air and brought his jaws crashing down onto Kaibutsu's skull, his bottom fangs right between his eyes. He knew that this was a weak point on any opponent, and if he cracked his skull it would be all over.

With a scream of pain and outrage, Kaibutsu smashed his forehead against the ground, trying desperately to dislodge him. Aang only held on tighter, digging his teeth in harder.

"You son of a bitch!" Kaibutsu roared before slamming his head down again, this time feeling the teeth let go. Crying out in fury, he tossed Aang against a headstone, letting go of his tail.

There was a moment of silence, before Kaibutsu staggered, showing that Aang's attack had done its damage. However, the cougar leopard forced himself to walk over to where the fallen tiger wolf lay, glaring down at him with hatred as rivers of blood make their down his body.

Seeing Aang stir, Kaibutsu whispered manically, his face no more than a foot above Aang's head "Go on, cry, scream, beg for mercy! Surrender and I'll end your life quickly and easily."

Aang raised his head shakily, blood from his wounds turning the snow beneath him red.

"You sick bastard," the former Avatar whispered, his voice dripping with hatred and defiance. "I'll n-never surrender to a sick bastard like you!"

His face twisting in rage, Kaibutsu grabbed Aang viciously by the neck and tossed him into the air before catching him again by his tail, slamming him nonstop into the snow.

Katara could only covered her mouth with both hands in horror, her blue eyes filling with tears as she watched the tiger wolf who had fought so hard to protect her be beaten to death.

Kaibutsu tossed Aang hard into the ground before grabbing his neck. He paused for a minute, panting, and then ran forward before he let go of the body in his teeth, letting it sail through the air and then fall to the ground in front of Katara.

"Namyu! No!" she cried, falling to her knees at his head. She pulled his head into her lap, ignoring the blood that spilled heavily from his body.

"There goes your last hope," Kaibutsu said coldly, an evil smile forming on his face. "You're mine now."

Katara gazed up at him fearfully, too scared to remember that she was a master waterbender, and too grief stricken to care. All she could think about limp body beneath her. Snow began to fall, as if to tell Katara that this was truly the end.

Suddenly, the air began to ring out with the sound voices chanting in a language Katara had never heard before. A few howls mixed in with voices, and wind began to blow.

Kaibutsu raised his head, scanning the cemetery for any new signs of life. A movement of white, black and red caught his eye, and he turned his head to see Aang struggling to his feet.

Katara and Kaibutsu watched this seemingly impossible feat in amazement. However Katara noticed that Aang's legs were trembling, but he didn't falter. Blood ran down his forehead and sides, but he paid no attention. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Kaibutsu as he panted with the effort to hold himself up.

Soon however, his breaths shifted from being light and fast to slow and heavy. Aang's eyes narrowed and he growled, baring his teeth. The wind blew harder, the snow flying around furiously. Kaibutsu squinted his eyes against it.

Aang's breathing grew heavier still until the beginnings of a war cry sounded from him. A bright flash of light was visible, forcing Katara to shield her eyes. Once her eyes adjusted, she opened them to see that Aang's eyes and black stripes were glowing white, a spiritual energy coursing within him.

_The Avatar State?_ Katara thought inanely.

A moment of complete silence passed, before Aang charged forward with a war cry at lightening speed, his paws barely seeming to touch the ground. Kaibutsu could stare in shock. He didn't move until Aang had leaped into the air and come down again onto the other side, ripping a piece of flesh from his body. Kaibutsu howled in pain.

Aang jumped and landed again, staying on the ground for no more than a second before he repeated his attack, tearing flesh from Kaibutsu's body with each strike.

The cougar leopard swung around to attack, but Aang leaped onto his back and bit down hard onto the back of his neck, feeling it crunch slightly. Kaibutsu roared as pain ran through his body. He was even in too much pain to realize that Aang had jumped off. However, upon turning his gaze back in front of him, he noticed that the tiger wolf in question was now racing headlong towards him.

"This is for you Catali!" Aang cried, jumping into the air. His body did a few front flips that only increased his speed, and a burst of wind drove him forward, right towards Kaibutsu's head. A furious scream escaped him as he sped forward; before it was cut of as his teeth were driven into his target: Kaibutsu's skull.

The impact lifted Kaibutsu's front feet off the ground. His eyes bulged and a strangled cry escaped him before Aang let go, flying over Kaibutsu's head. The mighty cougar leopard's face was frozen in its pained expression, and then he toppled forward, unmoving.

Aang lay behind Kaibutsu's limp body, the glow from his body gone, panting. Using that spirit…or whatever it was, had taken just about all of his energy. He barely had enough strength to lift his head off the ground. The wind quieted down, and the snow fell softly this time.

_I did it,_ he thought triumphantly, _I defeated Kaibutsu…_

But then suddenly, a weak growl of effort was heard, forcing Aang to look in Kaibutsu's direction. The cougar leopard was trying to heave himself off the ground, but obviously possessed very little strength to do so.

"I won't…I won't die," he said determinedly.

Aang couldn't believe it. After all of that, Kaibutsu still refused to admit defeat. Well, if he wasn't going to give up, then Aang wouldn't either.

The tiger wolf summoned what little strength he had, and focused it into forcing his legs to work. However, he soon realized that his back legs were completely numb, and useless. So, Aang was forced to drag his hind as he made his way over to Kaibutsu's head, determined to finish the vicious beast once and for all.

Kaibutsu glared at Aang once he came up beside him, his icy eyes holding an unfathomable amount of hatred.

"You…you little shit," he growled softly, although his words were filled with resentment, "When I get up…y-you're….you're finished."

"Call me what you want," Aang countered in a hoarse whisper, "But you're done, Kaibutsu. You won't take one more life." He drew in a gulp of air as he finished, "I'll send you straight to hell."

With that, Aang lunged forward, throwing his weight into this final attack as he clamped his teeth onto the back of Kaibutsu's neck. The cougar leopard made an awful gurgling noise as Aang tightened his jaws, feeling his adversary's spine crack satisfyingly. He didn't let go until he heard him draw his last breath, shudder, and become still.

Kaibutsu was dead.

Aang drew a deep breath before he forced his front legs underneath him and threw his head back in a howl of victory.

Katara could only stare in shock, her eyes wide. He had done it. _Namyu_ had done it. He had defeated the South Pole's greatest threat, all by himself. Everyone would be so proud of him…

Aang's cry of triumph suddenly broke off into a horrible gurgling sound, and he collapsed into the snow, his eyes shutting.

"Namyu!" Katara cried, racing towards him.

When she reached him, she knelt down beside him, touching his shoulder gently in hopes of rousing him.

"Namyu?" she asked hopefully. No response. She tried again, her voice softer and more tearstained. "Namyu?"

"_No! I…don't want to…go. I'm scared Katara_ …"

Katara shook her head, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she remembered the same words Aang had said so long ago. Something about this was disturbingly familiar…

A bright flash of light burst from Aang's arrow, and he opened his eyes, turning his gaze towards the beautiful waterbender who had come to him once again.

"It's alright, Namyu, I'm here," she soothed, "I'll heal you."

She turned herself halfway around, preparing to turn some snow that wasn't soaked in blood into something she could use to heal with.

"Don't bother."

Katara turned around, her eyes wide. Aang stared up at her. Had he just spoken?

"Did you…how did…?" Katara stammered.

"It doesn't matter," Aang whispered weakly. "Some trick of the spirits I guess. But don't bother wasting your time trying to heal me. I'm going to die, whatever you do. But this time I'm not afraid."

He smiled slightly, saying, "I've died before."

"What?" Katara whispered disbelievingly.

"I thought you would have recognized me by now, Katara," Aang continued on, "Remember when you first found me? I could have gone to any other person in the village, but I chose you and Sokka. And, the spirits gave me this…" he trailed off, leaning his forehead towards her so she could see his arrow more clearly.

Katara gaped at him, still not believing what she was hearing. Could it really be…?

"I didn't want to leave you before, and I guess I got my wish," Aang finished. Finally, in a voice barely audible, he said, "It's me Katara. It's Aang."

Aang watched as the tears in her eyes spilled over. The moon seemed to brighten, a beam illuminating Aang and Katara.

"A-Aang?" she choked.

Aang smiled in confirmation before he sighed and closed his eyes.

Katara gasped in horror. "No!" she cried, shaking his shoulder slightly, "Aang! Don't go! Please, I just got you back, don't leave me again! Aang! AANG!"

Katara buried her face in her hands, mourning the loss of her friend for the second time. Amidst her crying though, she didn't notice that both Aang and Kaibutsu's bodies disappeared, and the blood that soaked the cemetery vanished as if it were never there in the first place.

Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears, she turned her head to see none other than-

"Aang!" she cried in delight. Although it was clearly not just Aang. His body was blue, but his eyes were still their familiar grey. It was Aang as she remembered him; thirteen and confident. He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. Once she was up, Katara threw her arms around his neck, overjoyed at seeing him once more.

"I missed you," she murmured.

"I missed you too," he told her earnestly.

They separated, and stared at each other in silence for a minute before Katara asked, "So that was really you the whole time. Why did you come back?"

"I didn't want to leave you," Aang answered, "And I think it was my destiny as Namyu to defeat Kaibutsu. That's why the spirits sent me back."

He turned his head off to the side, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. "But there's something else," he admitted.

"What is it, Aang?" she asked.

Aang turned towards her, but kept his eyes on the ground. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I just wanted to tell you that, I love you Katara. I have since I first met you. I was just…afraid you didn't feel the same way."

He finally found the courage to meet her eyes, and when he did, he saw adoration and tears there.

"Oh Aang," she whispered, her throat tight with emotion. "I-I…"

She couldn't finish. Between one heartbeat and the next, Katara had brought her lips crashing down on his. Aang's eyes widened in shock before they slid closed.

They could have been like that for 20 seconds, a minute, or a year, Aang didn't which. But either way, Katara pulled away, smiling, and Aang was left staring at her hazily. Spirit or not, that was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced in his thirteen years.

Suddenly, Katara's smile fell, forcing Aang to drop his love struck expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"It's just…" Katara started to say, "Habakku…I love him too Aang. I can't love you both, can I?"

Aang just smiled and told her, "Katara, I'll always love you, but let's face it. I'm dead. You can't let me get in the way of your love for Habakku. Besides, I trust him with you. He'll make a great husband, when you're older."

"So, he'll live?" Katara asked hopefully.

"He'll be fine," Aang assured her. "I'll make sure of that."

Aang looked up as a soft voice sounded from somewhere above him, and he knew what it was immediately.

"I have to go," he said. "They're waiting for me."

"But Aang," Katara pleaded softly, "Don't go. I still need you."

She pulled him into a tight hug, as if this action alone would keep him with her.

"I need you too, Katara," he answered. "But you'll die someday. And when that day comes, we can be together forever in the spirit world. Alright?"

Katara nodded, and watched as Aang backed away from her, their hands lingering in each others before they let go.

"Goodbye, Katara," Aang said softly. "Oh, and tell Sokka he needs to get a dog, or else he'll get himself killed hunting by himself."

At this, Katara smiled, and watched as Aang's spirit faded away into the moonlight.

And on the way home, a tiny little tiger wolf puppy had found its way into Katara's arms. A star shot across the heavens, and she could almost sworn she heard Aang laughing in approval.


End file.
